


Inconvenient Crossroads- Awakening

by Beyondspareoom, HungryCanadian



Series: Inconvenient Crossroads [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Multiple Wardens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2018-12-30 05:39:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 45,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12101949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beyondspareoom/pseuds/Beyondspareoom, https://archiveofourown.org/users/HungryCanadian/pseuds/HungryCanadian
Summary: Cassian and Amira are back in this thrilling sequel to Inconvenient Crossroads- Origins. When we last left our two wardens Cassian Tabris had been abandoned by Morrigan, and placed in charge of the Wardens at Vigils Keep. Amira Surana on the other hand has decided to go on a walkabout, determined to finished what she started in the Deep Roads of Orzammar.Action! Adventure! Money Laundering? This story practically sells itself!





	1. Poor Partings

Leaving Denerim had Amira feeling oddly conflicted. As wonderful as it was to escape the confines of the castle, to leave behind the memory of the Blight, the threat of running into Alistair, and  _ Cassian _ . Amira realized with a strange sort of sadness that once more she was picking up her entire life and starting over. For all the terrible things she'd been through, all the hurts and horrors, she'd found dear friends as well. Now, Leliana was off to settle personal matters in Orlais, Zevran was off to go explore the world while he still had his head start on the Crows, she pointedly didn't think about Alistair's future. Amira didn't begrudge her friends these things, but she'd miss them all the same.

Amira didn't set out almost completely alone. She and Wynne had agreed to travel together until they reached the fork in their paths, Wynne was to take the road that would return her to Kinloch, while Amira planned to head farther south. It should have been a comfort, but ever since Anora had revealed that Wynne had been drugging Morrigan so that the Templars might take her, Amira hadn't known how to feel about Wynne. There was nothing the Circle could offer Morrigan, besides pain and perhaps a swift death. She was in no danger of falling prey to a demon's temptation, and Amira could even grudgingly admit that Morrigan's grasp of magic likely surpassed her own. Amira wanted to believe that Wynne meant well, that she truly believed in the Circle so much that sending Morrigan there felt like the right choice…

But she couldn't.

She could believe that Wynne wanted to believe that. That maybe it was what she told herself to justify her actions, but Wynne was too smart, had seen too much, for Amira to truly believe she had no idea what would become of Morrigan in a Circle. Amira had known it from practically the first moment she'd met Morrigan. 

That Wynne had actively hid her actions from her… how else was Amira supposed to take it, but as an admission of guilt?

The problem was Amira wasn't supposed to know any of this. As far as anyone knew she'd played no role in Morrigan's escape, and why would anyone suspect she had? It was no secret she hated both Cassian and Morrigan. Amira had already faced her line in the sand on top of Fort Drakon. She'd had the chance to let Morrigan die, to simply refuse to act. It would have been almost poetic for the thing that got Morrigan killed to be her own alienation of others, her continued insistence that kindness was a weakness. But Amira had looked that kind of revenge in the face, and hadn't been able to go through with it. At the end of the day that wasn't who she was, and it certainly who she wanted to be. That Wynne could do such a thing…

There wasn't actually anything concrete stopping her from revealing her knowledge. Morrigan was in the wind already, and the Templars had no official power over her anymore. Amira was still hesitant to show her cards and call Wynne out on her behavior. Partly because she wasn't entirely convinced a Templar with a grudge would care about something like official jurisdiction, and partially because Amira didn't know if she'd ever see Wynne again after this.

So instead Amira tried her best to act normal. Wynne seemed willing to chalk up her quiet, and her withdrawal to other factors. Given how she'd been acting these past few months maybe this  _ was _ fairly close to normal for her now. Amira resolved to change that. She needed to start living again. Maybe starting fresh would be good for her.

As the weeks passed on Amira was almost able to push it from her mind to enjoy the good parts, but the thought lingered over every conversation, the lies Wynne had told, the careful omissions.

Despite her internal conflict though, when the time finally came to part ways, Amira found herself feeling honestly sad to see Wynne go. "I suppose this is goodbye."

"I suppose it is." Wynne smiled sadly, before pulling Amira into a hug. As she pulled away, she kept her hands on Amira's shoulders. She seemed to hesitate for a moment before adding. "Though it need not be. You could always return to the Circle." Something in her tone suggested that it had been a topic Wynne had been planning to broach for some time. Perhaps Amira's sour mood had dissuaded her until now, and now there was simply no time left to wait. Perhaps she'd always planned on waiting until now to bring it up.

It was an innocuous enough suggestion on the surface, gentle even, but knowing what she did it made something in Amira snap. Without thinking Amira took a step back, letting Wynne's hands fall away. The fond nostalgia she'd felt saying goodbye was suddenly overshadowed by everything else she'd kept at bay since Denerim. "Can you imagine no life for a mage outside those wall?" She sounded bitter, she realized: bitter, and angry, and hurt.

"I only meant you could return home."

"What home? What's left for me there that's a home?" All the people that had made the Circle her home were beyond her now. Jowan was dead, she didn't know if Cullen was even her friend anymore, and Irving was… Amira didn't know if he had changed or she had, but she knew her relationship with him would never be the same. Maybe it was selfish, but how did you forget that the man you'd considered a father wouldn't fight for you? That he would simply accept the people he was supposed to protect being further caged for crimes that were not theirs. Amira didn't know how to feel about Irving anymore. She loved him but… Amira was starting to realize loving people didn't mean you got to stay with them, or that you even should.

"Amira…" Wynne said her name, soft and sad, like she had the day she found her crying in the courtyard of Eamon's estate. It only made her madder.

"I know what you did." Her hands were shaking, Amira realized distantly. Maker she was so angry. "I know what you did to Morrigan, drugging her so she wouldn't be able to fight off the Templars. How could you do that?"

"She's a dangerous apostate. The Circle would teach her--"

"The Circle would kill her!” Amira cut off furiously. “Or worse. But you already knew that, didn't you? You condemned her to death Wynne."

“I did what I thought was right.” Wynne said evenly.

“What you did was selfish.”

Wynne’s eyes narrowed, her composure faltering for a moment before the mask of wise old teacher settled back over her like a cloak. “You think  _ I _ was being selfish? Let’s talk about  _ you _ for a moment.” Without thinking Amira puffed up, drawing herself to her full (though still meager) height. “I warned you that nothing, but pain could come from your relationship with Alistair. That you both had greater responsibilities than your hearts, but you refused to listen to reason. And what came to pass? Exactly what I feared. You broke your own heart, and then to make matters worse you let your feelings cloud your judgement thereafter.”

Amira swallowed around the pain of the  _ ‘I told you so’  _ Wynne had apparently been saving. It felt like a betrayal after the vulnerability she’d let Wynne see, after she’d cried her heart out to the woman. But the part that hurt the worst was that Amira knew Wynne was right. “Because you never let your feelings cloud your judgement.” Amira shot back, wishing she could maintain the same kind of cold composure Wynne was managing. Of course her stone face would fail her the one moment she wished it would work. “If the Circle is so right, if the Circle knows what’s best, then why did you let Aneirin go?"

"This is hardly the same."

"Isn't it? In the eyes of the Circle there's no difference Wynne. He's an apostate just as she is." Amira clenched her fists, and looked away. Her voice soft but fierce. “Maker knows, I  _ hate  _ Morrigan, but even I can admit she’s well trained. She has nothing to fear from a demon’s tricks. What you did had nothing to do with what she needed.”

"I see there's to be no arguing with you now. I'm disappointed. I thought after Jowan…

Her head whipped around to stare at Wynne is furious surprise. "Don't" Amira hissed "talk about him."

Wynne stared at Amira for a long time, the look on her face was something complicated and sad that Amira was too angry to try to decipher. "As you wish" she finally said, and after another long, silent moment added. "Goodbye Amira." Then without another word she walked away. Amira didn't try to stop her, she simply stood there, watching her go until Amira could see her no longer. Wynne never looked back. 

"Come on Basil." Amira said softly. The mabari whined at her tone, pushing his face into her hand. It almost made Amira smile, but it was a brittle expression. "Let's get out of here." 


	2. Arrival

Cassian trekked down the road towards Vigil’s keep. He’d been traveling for about three weeks, making the trip from Denerim to Amaranthine in that time. He had stopped in a small town about two days ago and had met up with a potential Warden recruit by the name of Mhairi. She was a good and moral woman, Amira would have gotten along with her swimmingly.

It was night as they crested the hill that overlooked the keep. As they started down the incline a man ran towards them clearly panicked. He was dressed simply, most likely a farmer of some kind, Cassian observed. Not far behind him was a swarm of Hurlocks chasing after the screaming man. Cassian drew his swords and ran past the man, spinning and decapitating two of them while his companion took out another two. Side by side they killed the darkspawn quickly and effectively. Once they were done the man ran back up to them looking incredibly grateful for saving his life.

“It’s you! The Hero of Ferelden! Oh, thank the Maker!”  
  
“Where are the other Wardens?” Cassian inquired looking past the man towards the keep.

“There was someone right behind me, a mage! He might of been a Warden, I don’t know. All I heard were screams and people dying, I got out as fast as I could and ran into these… things. You need to help. You need to do something!”

Cassian’s eyes narrowed slightly, his hands clasped behind his back, as he moved into the man's personal space. “Do not presume to tell me what to do.” Cassian growled. “Go and hid, I will deal with this mess.” He said turning back towards the keep.

“Y-yes.” The man stuttered. “Of course, thank you ser.” he said running down the road towards safety.

As Cassian and Mhairi walked towards the gates of the keep she looked at him questioningly. “If you have a question ask it.” Cassian said staring straight ahead.

“I’m sorry Commander, I just… I think you were a bit harsh on the man that is all.” Mhairi said quietly.

Cassian hummed but said nothing. Together the two of them fought their way through the courtyard towards the draw gate that lead into the actual keep. Outside the drawbridge the ground was littered with bodies of darkspawn and fallen Wardens. Cassian looked at the bodies sadly. It was most likely that there were no more Wardens left. He had been looking forward to spending some time with actual Orlesian Wardens. He suspected that they were probably more fun then Ferelden Wardens.

“Unbelievable! The keep has been overwhelmed! How did the Wardens not sense the darkspawn coming? I don’t understand it!”

“That is strange.” Cassian muttered. “At the very least they should had sometime for a warning. The way the bodies are strewn about makes it seam as if they were taken completely by surprise. It is impressive”

“How could you say that? Our brothers and sisters are strewn around the yard like dolls. This is horrifying!”  
  
“I don’t disagree with you, I just think that it’s important to note that what is happening is also interesting.” Mhairi stared at Cassian slightly horrified at his disinterest in the deaths of the other Wardens.

Before she could say anything else they were attacked by Shrieks. Together they dispatched them with little effort. As more Darkspawn started to fill the courtyard the two of them were forced to retreat into one of the side entrances. They ran down the hall and turned the corner to find a young man shooting fire out of his hands. At a group of Herlock’s.

The man turned around and came face to face with Cassian and Mhairi who were watching him with interest. “Er… I didn’t do it.”  
  
“Want to help us kill some more darkspawn?” Cassian asked.

“What? Seriously? Him? He’s an apostate! We should turn him into the Circle.” Mhairi protested.

“What a charming… and beautiful companion you have here.” The man said walking towards the two of them.

“So are you in or not?” Cassian asked smirking slightly.

“I’ll help, my name is Anders by the way.”

“I’m Cassian, the one who is now in charge of this mess, this is Mhairi a new recruit.” Cassian introduced as Mhairi inclined her head in greeting.

Together the three of them set off down the hall trying to find a new way to get up to the main hall and hopefully take back the keep. They wound up going back outside to a different area where they were able to open the gate to the keep. During that time Cassian caught a glimpse of what looked to be a dwarf holding explosives and laughing manically as he blew up sections of the keep, burning the darkspawn in the debris.

With the gate open they were able to run into the main hall of the keep fighting off more groups of Darkspawn as they went. It would seem that they were not the only ones who had the idea of taking back the main hall. Oghren of all people was in the hall taking on four darkspawn all by himself. He seemed to be at about his usual level of drunkenness, which Cassian found rather impressive considering them amount of fighting he probably had to do to get into the keep. Once the fighting was over they took a moment to catch up.

“Oghren, what are you doing here?” Cassian asked curiously.

“I’m signing up! I’m going to be a Grey Warden. You and Amira made it look so fun I figured I’d see what the fuss was about.”   
  
Behind him Mhairi made a disgusted noise but said nothing.

“We need to get moving, are you coming?” Cassian asked.

“You can bet my hairy balls I am! Hehe.”

The four of them set off father into the castle making their way room by room and killing any darkspawn they found along the way. It seemed their best bet was to cull the keep and then go from there. Eventually they found themselves on the roof of the keep.

A few feet from where they exited was a darkspawn standing over a slightly older man. The darkspawn turned to look at the group and to everyone's shock it spoke. “It seems your words be true, more than you are guessing.”  
  
“It is talking!” Anders said in amazement.

“Capture the Grey Warden. These others, they may be killed.” The darkspawn ordered.

Cassian, Oghren and Mhairi drew their weapons and charged the group. Behind them Anders laid down cover fire to keep some of the other darkspawn at bay. Cassian charged at the leader and their swords clashed. Cassian spun around and tried to swing again but it was blocked. The darkspawn was strong, and fast. They went back and forth for several minutes as the battle raged around them. Cassian kept on the offensive and the darkspawn eventually started to back up. Eventually Cassian saw is opening and kicked his enemy square in the chest knocking him backwards off of the roof. Panting he turned to look at the older man who they had saved.

“Commander, I owe you my life. I am Varel, I will be aiding you in the ruling of the lands of Amaranthine.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you.” Cassian said nodding to the man. “Now that this unpleasantness is over I am going to take a nap. We will hold the Joining ritual in two hours time. I expect you all to be there.”  
  
“Oh I’m good thanks for asking.” Anders protested.

“You can either join the Wardens and gain the freedom and mobility to move about Thedas as a mage and Warden, or you can return to the Circle. The choice is yours.” Cassian countered.

“...I’ll see you tomorrow evening.” Anders answered in a small voice.

***

The ritual had gone ok overall. Mhairi had not survived, but Oghren and Anders had gotten through it ok. While they were laying on the ground unconscious Varel approached Cassian.

“Ser, I just want to inform you that we have captured a man who was attempting to sneak into the keep just before the attack. When you are ready you may deal with him as you see fit.”

“Thank you Varel. I will deal with this in the morning.” With that Cassian turned and started towards his room. It had been a long day. But at least he had gotten through his first day on the job. Hopefully the rest would be smoother sailing.


	3. In Which Cassian May Have a Type

“Ah Commander! Good thing you’re here. This one's been locked up three nights. Good men died while this one was protected in his cell.”

“Leave us.” Cassian said confidently, dismissing the guard. The soldier looked taken aback but respected his wish.

Cassian turned to look back in the cell. The man who was in it had walked over to the bars that were separating him and Cassian. 

“If it isn’t the great hero, conqueror of the Blight and vanquisher of all evil. Aren't you supposed to be ten feet tall? With lightning bolts shooting out of your eyes?” The man snarled. It was clear that he disliked Cassian, which was honestly not that surprising. Most people who met Cassian disliked him. 

“I wish I could shoot lighting. I would be much more impressive.” Cassian said smiling slightly.

The man snorted humorlessly. “Then you can imagine my disappointment. I thought that man who murdered my father would be more impressive.” Cassian raised an eyebrow at this. “I am Nathaniel Howe. My family owned these lands until you showed up. Do you even remember my father?” Nathaniel growled. 

“Tall, human, kind of old? I believe I do. If I remember properly he betrayed the monarchy in favor of Loghain. Your dad sucked.”

“My father served the Hero of River Dane and fought against the Orleasions! Yet our family lost everything! I came here… I thought I was going to try and kill you. To lay a trap for you. But then I realized I just wanted to reclaim some of my family’s things. It’s all I have left.” Nathaniel finished his speech looking defeated. 

Cassian watched him for a moment his face giving nothing away. He couldn’t help but be reminded of her… tall, brooding, a strange yet tense relationship with their parental figure. Cassian decided in that moment that this human was going to be his new best friend. 

“Unfortunately I don’t know where your family’s things are. I just arrived yesterday myself.” Cassian clasped his hands behind his back and slowly started to walk along the cell wall thinking. “Tell me, what would you do if I let you go?”

Nathaniel blinked in surprise at Cassian’s question. Clearly not expecting it. “I… don’t know. I only came back to Ferelden a month ago. If you let me go, I’ll probably come back here. You might not catch me next time. I am not without skills. My time abroad was not spent chasing skirts and drinking wine.”

Cassian stopped his slow walk at this a small smile making his way across his face. “Handsome and skilled. I may have use for you yet Nathaniel Howe.” He turned and started to make his way back towards Nathaniel who was eyeing him warily. 

“Good.” He spat out turning to walk back towards the bench he had been sitting on.

“Guard, bring the Seneschal.” Cassian called out.

A few minutes later the guard arrived with Varel. “Ser, have you decided what to do with the prisoner?” 

“I’m invoking the right of Conscription.” Cassian said, a slightly evil smile spreading across his face. 

“You  _ what _ ?” Nathaniel asked in disbelief rising from his seat. 

“I’m sorry Commander, the Right of Conscription? On a prisoner?” Varel asked in disbelief.

“No! Absolutely not! Hang me first!” Nathaniel cut in.

“Well I think that’s a little extreme.” Cassian stated. “And yes we are going to do it to him. Loghain was a traitor to the country and Amira Surana helped a blood mage escape the Circle. I consider both of those people the  _ worst _ and they helped save Ferelden. I think Nathaniel here will fit right in.” 

The other two men stared at Cassian in disbelief. “You’re insane.” Nathaniel finally said. “You’re absolutely insane.”    
  
“Oh you have no idea.” Cassian muttered. 

“Do you even want to have a Grey Warden who wants you dead?” Nathaniel challenged.

“Oh save me your self pity. Ter Loghain wanted me dead simply for being an Orlesian and the other warden and I were almost always at each other's throats. You do not scare me.”

“An... interesting decision, Commander.” Varel said.

Cassian snorted. “I can promise you it won’t be my last.” 

“Come with me, ser. We’ll see if you survive the Joining.”

With that Nathaniel was led away leaving Cassian in the small prison alone. Perhaps being in Amaranthine wouldn’t be the worst thing ever. Anders was a disaster waiting to happen. Oghren was always interesting to watch. And Nathaniel, well he would just have to deal with the fact that Cassian was going to be his new best friend. 


	4. What Comes Next

“You asked to see me Commander.”  
  
Nathaniel Howe was standing just inside the entrance of Cassian’s private room. The space was meticulously kept. Not one thing was out of place. The intense cleanliness made Nathaniel almost uncomfortable. When Nathaniel had been in the army, even the barracks had never been this clean. Cassian came strolling around the corner holding some parchment in his hands.

“Ah Nathaniel it’s good to see you.”

  
Nathaniel grunted in response. It had been less than a week since the Joining ritual and the Commander had been nothing but annoying. Cassian was constantly following him around and asking him random questions, and occasionally, trying to cook food for him. Apparently he looked underfed. He hadn’t seen Cassian do anything like that with the other recruits and he couldn’t figure out why he was targeting him. Perhaps it was because he had wanted to kill him? Cassian was Orlesian so being petty was probably as a part of him as breathing was.

“I want to know about your experiences in the Ferelden Court.” Nathaniel raised his eyebrow at that. Of all of the reasons he had thought he had been called here this was not one of them. Perhaps Cassian planned to send him away to Orlais as a form of punishment. As if being around one Orlesian wasn’t punishment enough.

“My father trained me and my siblings on the proper etiquette. I am familiar with all of the major members of the Court. Of course I suspect that my skills in Court would be useless in the Orleasion setting...”

“I figured as much. I need you to pack you bags containing your finest clothes. You are going on a trip my friend.”

  
“What?! Did you not just here what I said? I would be useless in Orlais.”

“Oh please I’m not sending you to Orlais. You wouldn’t last five minutes in Val Royeaux. You’re going to  Denerim.”  
  
Nathaniel balked at this. The elf was truly insane. “That is a horrible idea! I am a pariah there. Why would you do this?”

“The king and I are not on the best terms right now. He believes I stole something from him, and I believe that he’s a big dummy. As such I have been banned from the capital. I need you to go there and ask for sixty of their finest horses.”  
  
“You need sixty horses? Why do you need so many, you don’t even have six wardens here in the keep. That is ridiculous.”

Cassian shrugged at that and handed Nathaniel the piece of paper he had been holding. “I don’t care. Here are your orders, you’ll be gone around a month. Have fun!” With that Cassian walked out of the room leaving Nathaniel alone staring after him.

“Crazy, batshit crazy.” Nathaniel muttered to himself walking out of the room. 

***

Nathaniel rode up to the gates of Vigils keep. He was surprised to see how drastically the keep had changed in the last month. A large wall was being build around the perimeter, as he rode through the entrance people were running about gathering supplies. There appeared to be dwarf who was ordering about the workers. As Nathaniel dismounted his horse a guard ran up to him.

“Ser. The Warden-Commander wants to speak with you immediately.”  
  
“Of course he does. Very well lead the way.” Nathaniel rolled his eyes. He had hoped to be able to relax and perhaps bathe before he had to speak to Cassian. His time in the capital had not been very successful and Nathaniel doubted that Cassian would be thrilled by what he had to say.

Nathaniel followed the guard quickly into the keep. When they arrived at his room the doors were shut. “I think he’s in another meeting. Wait here and he’ll be with you in a minute.” With that the guard turned and left. Nathaniel sighed and rolled his eyes. Typical.

A few minutes later the doors slammed open and an elven woman came storming out. “Fuck you! You half eared imp!” The woman shouted behind her. She blew past Nathaniel and stormed down the hall. He watched her leave curiously. Cassian was aggravating, but it wasn’t often that he elicited such an outright reaction.

“She’s looking for her sister.” Nathaniel turned to see Cassian standing in the entrance of his room. He noted immediately that Cassian had probably grown about an inch and a half in the last month. His pants were clearly to short now, either Cassian didn’t care, which was unlikely or he hadn’t noticed. Nonetheless he looked rather comical, like an gangly teenager and not the Commander of the Grey Wardens.

“Her sister?” Nathaniel asked.

“Yes, we found Velanna in the Welding Woods a few weeks ago, she believes that humans took her sister. She’d been doing her own version of one woman guerrilla warfare in an attempt to find her.” Cassian sounded tired as he said this. The strain of running the keep was clearly starting to wear at him.

“You don’t sound convinced.” Nathaniel said as Cassian led him into his room shutting the door behind him.

“Darkspawn can talk now. They’ve become sentient. I think it is more likely that she was taken by them. I want to return to the area and explore a nearby silverite mine for clues, but with the construction going on here, the refugees heading to Amaranthine, and the bandits looting the countryside we are being stretched too thin. We need to be patient and strategic. We can’t just rush into things.”

Nathaniel nodded. “I’m inclined to agree with you.” Cassian looked at him slightly surprised. “Oh don’t give me that. I can still hate you and agree with you. It’s not that hard.” Cassian smiled at this.

“I suppose you are right. Now tell me about Denerim. Did you get the horses?”  
  
“Uuuuh no.” Nathaniel muttered. “I asked the king but he drew offense to the fact that a Howe was now you lapdog, his words not mine." Nathaniel stopped there hoping that would be explination enough.

"Oh, please. I think we both know there was more to your meeting then that." Cassian said smirking slightly. 

Nathaniel sighed and continued. "I may or may not have told him I wished you dead. We ended up getting spectacularly drunk together. We made a straw man of your likeness and then shot it full of arrows. And think, the king lit it on fire, but the details get a little hazy. I failed your demands and for that I apologize.” Nathaniel sat back and waited. Cassian would most likely be furious. He’d probably yell and rage, maybe even kick him out of the Wardens.

“That is… wonderful! You did perfectly!” Cassian exclaimed clearly excited about the news.  
  
“You are pleased that I made a mockery of you in Court?”

“Of course. We don’t need sixty horses. That’s excessive. And I can buy horses myself, you would not believe the amount of money I find just lying around.”

“I don’t understand. Why even send me there to ask for something we don’t need?”  
  
Cassian grinned at this. “Wait here a second.” He darted into the side room, coming back minute later with a large wood wall that was on wheels. It was covered with drawings and notes and coloured strings connecting everything.

“Um, what is this?”

“It’s the plan! Or a plan actually, I have a lot of plans.” Cassian said gesturing to the complicated diagrams with a rather mad look in his eye. “This particular plan is the plan to strengthen our hold in Amaranthine. Nathaniel you are of noble blood, the fact that you are disgraced will not change that. And you are proficient in navigating the Ferelden court. These are skills that are incredibly useful.”  
  
“I don’t to see how I am of any help. I failed to do as you asked.”

“True but you succeeded in doing what _I_ planned. Which is way better.”  
  
“And what, Maker help me, did you plan?”

“I’ve been banned from Denerim and that has put a bad spot on me with the nobility. The fact that I am Orleasion elf is not helping me either. But you, you are redeemable in the eyes of the court. The fact that you publicly bonded with the King, the brother of the man whom your father betrayed, immediately makes you more trustworthy to the rest of the court. If the King likes you then you must be ok. From now on everyone is going to be more willing to hear what you have to say. You’ve proven you are not your father's son.”

Nathaniel was quiet for a minute staring at him in disbelief “...You crazy bastard... You sent me across the country so that I could publicly humiliate you?”

“Yes.” Cassian said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“This is giving me a headache.” Nathaniel muttered pinching his brow.

“Don’t worry. You won’t need to return to court for a while, and in the meantime I will train you on how to better navigate it. Oh! Before I forget I have something for you.” Cassian walked across the room and picked up a bow that was lying against the wall. “This is for you. I found it in the basement a last week.” Nathaniel looked at him questioningly. “I like to organize things.” Cassian said gesturing helplessly around his spotless room to prove his point.  
  
“Is this… It is! The Howe family crest is burned into the wood. This is my grandfather’s bow. Or rather my grandfather was the last person to us it. It was originally made for an ancestor during the Exalted Marches.”  
  
“Well you did say you wanted your family's heirlooms back.” Cassian said smiling. “If I come across anything else I will be sure to return it to you.”

“Thank you. It’s good to have a part of my families legacy again, something to be proud of.”

“You’re welcome. You can go and rest now Nathaniel. Thank you for meeting with me.”

Nathaniel nodded and smiled slightly, looking at his family's bow lovingly. He turned and started to leave the room.

“Oh and Nathaniel.” He turned to look back at Cassian curiously. “Velanna is single if you’re interested.” He smirked at as if he knew a secret that was obvious to everyone but him.

“Why would I be interested in that information.” Nathaniel asked confused.

“I think the real question is why _wouldn't_ you be interested.”

With that Cassian closed the door to his room leaving Nathaniel alone in the hallway. “Batshit crazy.” He muttered walking away.


	5. Icarus

Amira sensed the darkspawn before she heard them. Whatever ideas she had about approaching them slowly, and carefully were thrown aside when she heard the first child’s scream. With a sharp whistle Basil ran ahead of her at full speed. Amira reached the clearing and found Basil growling menacingly, keeping himself bodily between the darkspawn and two children.

The forest was thick, and without the benefit of a group to keep them at bay, long range wasn't much of an option, Amira made her decision quickly. Drawing her short swords, she didn't hesitate, throwing herself into the fight.

As Amira met one of the darkspawn head on, their swords clashing loudly. 

The children were still there, she realized with a start, staring at the fight wide eyed. "Run!" Amira yelled, spinning her blades and sending out a wave of ice to push the darkspawn back. It seemed to shake the children out of whatever stupor they were in and the two were off like a bolt. Amira breathed a sigh of relief before refocusing on the fight. There were more darkspawn in this hunting party than she'd thought, but Amira couldn't find it in herself to regret her hasty actions.

As the fight dragged on Amira felt herself beginning to lag. Still she only had two more darkspawn left. She could handle that. Just a little more, just hold out a little longer-

***

Amira woke up in a small, unfamiliar, simply decorated room. Everything hurt, but she seemed more or less in one piece. Her simple, bare wooden stave rested against the wall by the foot of her bed, but her sword was half pulled from its scabbard, being examined by a young man she half remembered from her previous, brief, brushes with consciousness over the past few days. 

"Hello." She greeted, her voice rough from disuse. He jumped like a spooked horse at the sound, very nearly dropping her sword. "Careful!" She cautioned, wincing at her own startled movement. So laying down hurt, but moving hurt more. Good to know.   
  
He returned the sword to its scabbard, near clutching it to his chest as he stared at her with wide eyes. "You're awake!" His gaze kept straying to her ears, and Amira resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Maker, but she was tired of people pointing out she was an elf. Did they think she'd somehow failed to notice her whole life?    
  
"You, you've been out for near a week." He told her, still staring at her a bit awed. "Mirabella, she said you saved her from the darkspawn. That you fought off a whole pack of 'em all on your own."   
  
"The children got away alright then?" Amira asked intently, though the effect was somewhat ruined by her wince of pain. Whatever pain she was in would be worth it if they were alright though.   
  
He nodded quickly. "Thanks to you." He hesitated for a moment before adding softly. " _ You _ were in bad shape when we found you. Real deep cut to the back of your neck, lot of blood got let. The healer thought...she thought you might not make it for a while."   
  
That was a sobering thought, Amira touched the bandage wrapped around her neck. Amira hadn't truly considered the dangers of traveling almost completely on her own. After everything else she'd survived during the Blight...but then she'd not been alone for any of that had she? Amira sighed, she'd need to be more careful in the future. She'd need to find allies when she went into the Deep Roads. Despite that resolve deep down Amira knew she'd go to destroy the anvil whether she could find anyone to help or not. Some things just needed doing, whatever the risks.

“I owe you all my thanks then.” she said offering him a smile.

The boy seemed like he had something more he wanted to say, before thinking better of it. "I'll, ah, go get you some food then." he mumbled.

***

It was a few days more before the healer felt comfortable allowing Amira out of bed for more than a few short bursts at a time. In that time she was visited by the young girl, Mirabella, whom she’d saved, as well as the girl’s father and mother. The latter pair she saw only briefly, and Amira had a feeling Mirabella’s mother at least had conflicted feelings about her presence. The frequency with which she caught the woman’s eyes straying to her ears, a sour twist to her lips gave her an idea as to why. Mirabella on the other hand was a frequent excited visitor, and storyteller. Occasionally Mirabella would bring along the other child that had been with her, a neighbor and friend who mostly stared wide eyed at Amira when he came along. By far the member of the household she saw the most, though there was the young man who’d been there when she’d first woken up: Ailbe.

  
It seemed to Amira that Ailbe had been tasked with seeing to her recovery. He brought her meals and water, and would sit with her when he could. When Mirabella wasn’t demanding her attention, he would ask questions. It always seemed there was one he was afraid to ask her, though, despite her gentle prodding. Amira caught him glancing at her ears as often as his mother did, but his expression was different than her’s, benign but weighted, and Amira couldn’t puzzle out what he meant by it.

“How come you have a sword, if you're a mage?” Ailbe asked one day as they shared lunch.

“I'm an arcane warrior.” Amira said with a shrug. “It's a mostly forgotten art, practiced by the ancient elves.” Ailbe perked up the way he always did when the topic of elves came up, and Amira wondered at it.

“How'd you learn it then? At the Circle?”

Amira snorted, nearly inhaling a chunk of bread. Maker, the thought of Gregoir letting any of them near a sword! Amira shook her head, trying to contain her amusement. “No.” She smiled, leaning forward conspiratorially “would you believe me if I told you I learned it from a phylactery of blood in the ruins of an elvhen temple?”

“What were you doing  _ there _ ?”

Amira shrugged, biting back a grin. “Negotiating peace with a group of werewolves.” Amira tried not to laugh at the look on his face. Ailbe made a good audience, and she found herself growing fond of the kid.

They were silent for awhile after that, both eating their bread and last night's stew. Ailbe and his family had been generous in helping her since her injury. Ailbe’s father had insisted it was the least they could do since she had saved Mirabella, but still, Amira wanted to do something to repay them.

“Will you teach me?”

Amira raised an eyebrow. “To be an arcane warrior? Are you an apostate and only now telling me?” She was joking, mostly, but Ailbe didn't seem to pick up on that.

“No!” He flushed. “I just meant- I know a little about sword work but not much. I've never really-I mean you've fought  _ darkspawn _ .”

Amira stared at him consideringly for a moment. “Okay. Though I'll warn you now I'm no master. I've only been fighting with the sword for a little over a year.” Or was it closer to a year and a half now? Maker she didn't even know anymore. Ailbe assured her that was good enough for him. After all, he reiterated, she'd fought darkspawn and won.

***

“She’s not really my mum.” Ailbe blurted out, sweat drenched and exhausted from the training they'd been doing. With her injuries though Amira mostly just watched, critiqued, and corrected form. He was quite skilled already as far as Amira could tell, especially for being self taught. Ailbe’s confession had come on the heels of an offhand mention Amira made of the woman. He flushed as his brain seemed catch up with his mouth. “Agnes, she’s my step-mum I mean. My mum, she died when I was little.”

“I’m sorry, I know how hard that is.” Amira said softly, but she wasn’t sure if Ailbe heard her. He seemed to be lost in himself, wrestling with something.

“She was an elf” he said in a rush, as if afraid that if he didn’t get them out quickly the words wouldn’t come, and Amira thought she finally understood some things. “It’s why Agnes doesn’t like me. Da doesn’t notice, or maybe he does, I don’t... I wish I looked more like her. I wish I looked more like an elf, then at least,” he scrubbed at his face as if he was trying not to cry, and Amira wasn’t sure if she should look away or try to comfort him. Sometimes it was kinder to let someone pretend you didn’t see the tears. “I’m too elfy for everyone here, but I’m too human for anyone to see anywhere else. That’s dumb though, ain’t it? It’s hard being an elf, everyone’s shit to ‘em so-so I should be happy, right? But I’m  _ not _ .” 

Ailbe slumped against the barn wall, slowly letting himself slip down until he was sitting on the ground. She could see the hints of his heritage now that she knew to look for them. It was in the curve of his ears and hue of his complexion. Little clues that on their own didn't mean much, and even together didn't do much more than imply. He looked remarkably human. Amira supposed his mother must have had some human on her side as well. After a moment of hesitation Amira sat softly down beside him, her knees pulled to her chest, and pressed her shoulder against his. “I'm not ashamed of her. I don't- I don't want anyone ever to think I'm ashamed of her, but finding work that’ll be harder if people know won't it?” He leaned into the contact, just a bit, and Amira was struck by how young he seemed in that moment. She was struck by all the ways he reminded her of herself. 

“The Grey Wardens don't care about that sort of thing, do they?” Ailbe asked quietly, something fierce and hungry in his voice. “You're a Warden. You-you helped save all of Ferelden. End a Blight. If I was a Warden, I could do something good, do something worthwhile with my life and I wouldn't have to hide what my mom was. I could be proud of her and it wouldn't matter.”

“Ailbe.”’

He seemed to bristle at the gentle warning in her voice. “I could do it. I want to do it. You said yourself there’s still bands of darkspawn running around. Said I've got talent with a blade and-and Fereldan, we've got barely any Grey Wardens. You need recruits.”

“You’re only sixteen.”

“And you joined when you were nineteen! That ain't much older!”

Amira looked away. It was startling to remember Ailbe was only five years younger than her. He seemed so young. Too young for what he'd have to face in the Grey Wardens. But she could see in his eyes that he wouldn't take no for an answer. If she refused him here he'd just run off somewhere else trying to prove himself. He wasn't going to stay here.

“How about this” Amira offered diplomatically “wait until after your next birthday. Give yourself time to keep training. If you still feel this strongly about it, go to Amaranthine and submit yourself as a potential recruit then, alright?” With any luck time and distance from the Blight would dull the feverous appeal recruitment held at the moment. Amira knew they needed more Wardens, that their Order was necessary to the safety of Thedas, but the price they paid… Amira wasn't sure it was one Ailbe was prepared to pay. Not when he had so many other options in life.

If nothing else she could comfort herself with the knowledge that Cassian would likely find him wanting and turn him away. She should probably have felt bad about using Cassian has the bad guy so she didn't have to be, but really it was the one useful thing about him so why not?

“Deal!” He agreed, and Amira could tell she'd lit a fire under him. If nothing else it would be good for his training, Amira thought ruefully. Reaching out Amira ruffled his hair, smiling affectionately at the offended squawk he let out in response.

“Let's get back to work kid.”

***

Soon enough Amira found herself healed enough that her journey could be put off no longer. Even knowing as she did that that Orzammar was waiting, that every day she lingered was another Branka possessed the anvil, Amira found herself reluctant to leave. She'd grown fond of the company she'd found here. If she was reluctant than Ailbe was downright to distraught.

“Do you really have to go?” He asked, wringing his hands nervously. “Maybe I could come with you?”

Amira shook her head. “I'm not bringing you to the Deep Roads.”

“But you'll bring a dog.” He muttered petulantly.

“Basil is a mabari.” Amira reminded him, while Basil whined as if he was offended. “What kind of Ferelden are you, not trusting a mabari?”

Ailbe flushed, and Amira thought the only thing keep her from ruffling his hair again was the fact that he was taller than her. “I didn't mean anything by- I just-things are better with you, here is all.”

Amira smiled fondly. “You'll get out of here eventually Ailbe. Find somewhere you feel like you fit.”

“When I come join the Wardens.” He agreed, nodding firmly. Amira resisted the urge to sigh. 

“We’ll see how you feel later.” With any luck the bag of coins and note she'd left for him to find in his things would be enough to convince him he could start a new life somewhere that didn't involve him risking his neck fighting darkspawn.

Amira had already said goodbye to the rest of Ailbe’s family. She'd left his father with another bag of coins, enough to cover the costs they'd incurred housing her and a little more as her thanks. He'd tried to refuse of course, but Amira had insisted. She'd no intention of seeing them go through hard times because they'd thought they needed to pay for their daughter’s life. Mirabella had been distraught to see her go and had gifted her with a lively drawing that Amira now had tucked in her pack, safety nestled between the page of a book. Agnes had seemed quietly pleased to see her go, though she'd startled when Amira had presented them with money for their troubles. She hadn't seemed to know what to think after that. Now it was just Ailbe walking with her for a time, until they reached the edge of the nearby village. A destination that was fast approaching. 

“Keep practicing with your sword work. Remember, basics are your friend. So is dodging.” Amira reminded.

“Yes mum.” He muttered, rolling his eyes, but his brief attempt at indifferent humour faltered as he saw the trail marker where their paths were to diverge. “I…” he seemed at a loss for words as they stopped.

“Take care of yourself Ailbe.” Amira said pulling him into a hug. “You're a good kid, so don't go rushing into anything okay?”

“M’not a kid.” He mumbled, but returned her hug fiercely. “You better promise not to go dying in the Deep Roads.”

“Promise.” Amira agreed with a laugh, and as she left Amira found herself wishing that, as much as she liked Ailbe, that she would never see him again. Maker don't let him follow my path, she thought desperately, keep him safe.


	6. Clarity

“Hey Nathaniel! Did you know that the Dalish create their weapons from Iron Bark? It’s a process that only the greatest elvish craftsmen can even hope to achieve.”

  
Nathaniel rolled his eyes in annoyance. The Warden-Commander had somehow managed to become even more annoying since he had returned from Denerim. When he wasn’t running the keep Cassian was constantly following him around spouting off archery facts or talking about the history of the bow and arrow. He was about ready to snap.

“No Commander, I did not know that.” Nathaniel said exasperatedly as he walked briskly through the courtyard. The sooner he got the the training area the sooner Cassian would leave him alone.

“It’s pretty incredible. When I was in the Brecilian forest during the Blight we found a ton of the stuff. We donated it to the elves-”  
  
“FOR THE LOVE OF THE MAKER WILL YOU _SHUT UP_?” Nathaniel exploded. He was sick and tired of this torment, constantly being followed around by his father's murderer. It was humiliating enough that he worked for him, but this, this constant watch. It was driving him insane.

Cassian recoiled as if he had been slapped. A hurt look flitted across his face but it was quickly replaced with a carefully placed mask.

“You win ok! I can’t take anymore of this constant observation. You are the most irritating person I have ever met. Just- for the love of the Maker, leave me alone for five god-damn minutes!” Nathaniel finished breathing heavily. It felt good to get that out. This man had killed his father. He may have returned his family bow, but that didn’t negate the fact that he had ruined his family name, and most likely led to the death of his siblings.

“I… see. I apologize for bothering you Nathaniel. I will see to it that it doesn't happen again.” With that Cassian turned and walked briskly across the courtyard returning to the keep and disappearing inside.

Nathaniel huffed to himself. That was an… odd response. Cassian had probably been testing him. Trying to see if he would have the stones to stand up for himself. Well once again the manipulative bastard had gotten exactly what he had wanted. Nathaniel entered the training ring and began to practice shooting, he had better things to do then try to work out the thinking of his Commanding officer.

***

“Nathaniel, you will be going to Amaranthine. There is a shopkeeper in the merchant area that has a rare book I’ve been meaning to read. Here is the paper containing all of the information you will need.” Cassian handed Nathaniel a rolled up piece of paper. He had just finished delegating his orders to the rest of the Wardens. Oghren, Velanna and Cassian where to go back  to the Deep Roads tunnel under the Keep and clear out the remaining darkspawn so it can be filled. Anders and Justice were to patrol the countryside for more darkspawn, and to look for signs of the Architect.

“What? This is an errand boys task. Send me with Anders and Justice. I can help them.” Nathaniel protested. It had been a few days since he had blown up at Cassian. Since then the elf had kept his distance. This was the first time he was speaking directly to Nathaniel since that day.

Cassian looked at him his eyes narrowing. “Go. to. Amaranthine. That is an order. I will not tell you again.” With that that Cassian turned and left the room.

On his way out he banged his shoulder into the door frame. He grunted in pain. Cassian, it seemed, had still not quite figured out he was growing so rapidly. His frame had broadened out over the last few weeks in addition to his increased height. Cassian was now constantly banging into table edges and door frames, it was rather funny to watch.

“What did you do to him? He’s been cranky for days.” Velanna asked Nathaniel accusingly.

“I have done nothing other then stand up for myself. He’s been bothering me for weeks I finally told him to leave me alone.” Nathaniel said proudly.

“Creators, give me strength.” Velanna said looking up and the ceiling. “He wants to be your friend you colossal ding dong. He asked me a few weeks ago to tell him the entire history of Dalish hunting and bow training. He wanted to impress you.”

“You’re wrong. He's been following me around to torment me. Not to be my friend. Cassian doesn't need friends.”

  
“Everyone needs friends you mead sack. When I was traveling with the Commander he only had one person he would call friend and she left him after the Blight ended. You hurt the elf's feelings.” Oghren hiccuped.

Nathaniel started at the group in disbelief. “You really think he wants to be my friend? That’s… ridiculous.”

“Oh I agree. But the Commander definitely wants to be friends with you.” Anders responded.

“Well excuse me for not being keen on befriending the man who murdered my father and stole my family’s lands.”

“Whatever.” Velanna stood to leave the rest of the Warden’s followed suit. “Cassian wants to be friends with you. And you don’t, I think he got the message when you yelled at him.

With that everyone left the room leaving Nathaniel alone with his thoughts, and a strange sense of guilt over his behavior with Cassian.

***

Nathaniel walked through the streets of Amaranthine looking for the shop Cassian had directed him to. He was supposed to find a store owned by a man named Albert. Apparently his wife had come across an Orlesian book that Cassian was keen to read.

Finally he found the shop crammed in between a weapon smith and grocers. Nathaniel entered the shop. It was fairly clean and well organized. Which was actually rather surprising for a general trade store. They were usually quite cluttered.

“One moment.” A female voice called from the next room.

Nathaniel contented himself to look around the shop in the meantime.

“Sorry about the wait how may I help you?” The woman said walking into the room.

Nathaniel turned and gasped. “Delilah?”

***

BANG! BANG! BANG!

“Cassian Tabris you haul you blue ass out of bed this instant!” Nathaniel shouted as he continued to pound on Cassian’s bedroom door.

Suddenly the door was wrenched open and Cassian was standing on the other side of it looking incredibly tired and disheveled. “What?” He bit out.

Nathaniel balked slightly, Cassian looked so much younger like this. Nothing like the great hero everyone said he was, he looked so much more like a tired teenager who desperately needed sleep. Nathaniel guessed it was from his ongoing growth spurt. It was probably tiring him out.

“I need to talk to you about Amaranthine.” Nathaniel said pushing past him into the room.

Cassian closed his door and shuffled after him. “Did you get my book?”  
  
“Yes, well no, actually I forgot to buy it. Why in the Maker's name didn’t you tell me that my sister worked in the shop you were sending me to?”

“Well I was going to, I was thinking we could go together or something. Then you said you wanted nothing to do with me. I thought that this would be better.” Cassian muttered plopping down on his couch. Nathaniel sat in a plush chair across from him.

The comment surprised Nathaniel. “You mean, you wanted to go with me. Why?”

Cassian shrugged slightly looking anywhere but at Nathaniel. “I thought we could bond and stuff. Take a fun trip and get to know each other better.”

“You wanted to get to know me better?” Nathaniel repeated confused. “Wait. Was that your way of trying to be my friend?” Nathanael asked. Cassian nodded slightly in response. “Why do you want to be my friend? That doesn't make any sense to me.”

“I just. I think you’re really cool.” Cassian muttered. “You remind me of someone else who was dear to me, but not in a bad way. Also you don’t really care that I’m an elf or Orleasion, which is really nice. It’s rare to find that in a human noble. Plus you are pretty adept at court intrigue so there’s just a lot that I feel like I can talk to you about. But I understand you don’t want to have anything to do with me. I’m sorry that I was bothering you so much. I just didn’t know how to become your friend and I thought impressing you would help.” He finished looking slightly embarrassed.

Nathaniel suddenly understood. Everyone needed a friend. Even Cassian. The poor man was lonely and had saw a kinship in Nathaniel that he had spurred because he was to angry to see what was really happening.

“I’m sorry.” Nathaniel began awkwardly. “ I was caught up in my grief over my father's death. I used to idealize the man. I propped him up to be more than he was. I talked to my sister about him. Apparently when he died he was no longer the man I remembered. I’m sorry for how I treated you. It was unfair, especially when you have been nothing but patient with me since I arrived.”  
  
Cassian smiled slightly and nodded.

“You found my sister and brought me back to her. She’s due in the summer, I’m going to be an Uncle.” Nathaniel said smiling at the thought. “You also conscripted me into the Grey Wardens and now I’m apart of something so much bigger. And I feel it. I love this life. Thank you for saving me from becoming a bitter man consumed by grief. You are a good friend.”

Cassian suddenly threw himself into Nathaniel’s chair and gave him a big hug. He pulled back suddenly standing awkwardly. “Sorry.” He muttered, standing awkwardly. “I'm just am really happy you want to be my friend.”

Nathaniel stood and pulled him into a proper hug. “I’m happy to be your friend to. Now I believe that you said you were going to train me in courtly intrigue. And so far I have not received a single lesson.” Nathaniel said pulling back with a smile.

Cassian grinned excitedly. “Wait here.” He said darting out of the room and coming back a moment later pulling a movable wall behind him. “The first rule of intrigue is to follow the gossip. And boy do I have some good stuff.” Cassian said grinning.

They stayed up the rest of the night talking as only friends can.


	7. Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was a slight mess up in the order of chapters. Chapter five (Icarus) is also a new one as well. Sorry about the mistake. Enjoy the double chapters!

Cassian sat bolt upright breathing heavily. This was the third time in as many days that he had woken up from some kind of nightmare. They were still dealing with darkspawn in Amaranthine, but life had slowed down significantly. Nathaniel was not longer actively hated him and was finally trying to accept who his father really was. The rest of the group was working well together, but Cassian still had his doubts about Anders. The only reason he hadn't kicked him out of the Wardens’ was because he really had nothing better to do then see how that mess would play out. Maybe his life would be interesting again. Maybe he’d finally get her out of his head.

Cassian looked down at the ring on his hand, he hadn’t taken it off since she left, but he also hadn’t felt her since she’d gone. There was a hole in his heart now. He couldn’t even think her name it, hurt to much.

The nightmares though, they were becoming a near constant thing, he’d wake up in a cold sweat most nights, sore and achey all over. Dreaming about his inevitable death, or what happened in the Alienage that started him on this path to begin with. He also dreamed of her, dying horribly at the hands of a darkspawn, he unable to protect her. Those were the worst.

Cassian rose to his feet unsteadily, he put on a new non-sweat covered shirt and left his room. He needed some air. And maybe a drink. As he exited the Keep he saw another figure sitting at the bottom of the steps smoking from a pipe. Getting closer Cassian could see that it was Nathaniel, staring up at the sky looking very much at peace. Cassian was glad, coming to terms with your parents true selves can be difficult. He sat down silently beside Nathaniel saying nothing for a moment, then he reached over and grabbed his pipe and chucked it into the darkness.

“Hey! What was that for?”

Cassian turned to look at Nathaniel, a small smile on his face. “Smoking is bad for you.” 

Nathaniel huffed annoyed. He looked at Cassian out of the corner of his eye for a moment. “Why are you here Commander? Do you want something, or are you really just that invested in keeping me from smoking?”

“I had a bad dream and needed some air, I saw you here and figured we could share it, the air, I mean. If you wish to be alone I will leave you be.” The trick to being around Nathaniel was knowing when to not be around him.

“No, it’s fine. I have found that your presence is not as horrible as it used to be.”   
  
Cassian barked a laugh at his joke, it’d been so long since he’d genuinely laughed at something. 

“Tell me Commander, when this whole deal with the Architect and the talking Darkspawn is over what do you intend to do? Surely you must have someone who waits for you?”

Cassian snorted at the last part. “Please call me Cassian, Commander is to formal. And to answer your question, no I do not have someone waiting for me There was a woman… but she left.” 

Nathaniel watched Cassian, seeing the sadness on his face. It made him almost uncomfortable to see him with such a clear and genuine emotion on his face. He was always so layered, so hard to read, almost as if his face spoke a different language than the ones of people here in Ferelden. Perhaps that’s what people meant when they talked about Orlesian masks, he thought distantly. “She left? Who is this woman that would leave the great Cassian Tabris, vanquisher of the Blight.” Nathaniel elbowed him slightly to show his jest.

Cassian smiled tightly staring at the mostly constructed wall that surrounded Vigils Keep. Finally he looked at Nathaniel. “It doesn't matter, she's gone and wishes to be so. I will respect that.”

“Maker! Is it Amira Surana? I heard there was something going on between you two, Oghren mentioned it, of course it was hard to get a straight answer from him considering how drunk he was.”   
  
“I think i'm going to throw up" Cassian said making a face. "No it was definitely not Amira, she's gross. It was a mage though, a witch.” 

“A witch...hmmm. Ah! Yes!” Nathaniel said snapping his fingers as he remembered. “ Oghren mentioned her, a Witch of the Wilds, very powerful and very beautiful, what did he say her name was, Madeline? No Meghan? That’s not right either…” Nathaniel trailed off hoping that Cassian would contribute.

“Her name is Morrigan.” Cassian took a deep stuttering breath after he said her name. He hadn’t said her name in nearly seven months. It tasted almost foreign on his lips.

“Well what happened there? It sounds like you might have had a good thing going. You're a semi attractive elf, and she was apparently very beautiful.” Nathaniel cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. “I could see that working out, you know balance the good looking with the ok looking.” Nathaniel grinned, amused at his own joke.   
  
This was what Cassian liked so much about Nathaniel, he was direct he just said or asked what he wanted. A product most likely of his privilege as a noble, that being said he wasn’t afraid to make a joke either, these were the two things that had made Cassian want to be his friend in the first place. Well that and he kind of reminded him of Morrigan. Tall, dark, and brooding Cassian thought smiling to himself. 

“She wanted to leave and she did not want me to come with her. I respected her wishes and came here instead. I needed something to do with the rest of my life, might as well lead a scrappy group of Wardens.” 

“But, she still loves you right? There was never any falling out? She just wanted to travel alone?” Nathaniel asked incredulously.

“Yes.” Cassian said nodding. “I would do anything for her, including this.”

“That… is the stupidest thing I have ever heard.” Nathaniel said staring at him shocked. “For someone so smart you’re being really dumb.” Cassian looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “You love this woman, you should go to her! Fight to be with her. You need to go to her and tell he that you still love her and want to be with her. None of this crap of putting what you want completely aside just so she can have what she wants.”    
  
Cassian rose and turned to walk back inside, he was going back to bed. “I will respect what she has asked of me. I'm not going chase her to who knows where just for her to send me back. Goodnight Nathaniel.” With that Cassian turned and walked back inside, hoping to get a few more hours of sleep.

Nathaniel sighed and stood, walking over to retrieve his pipe, he relit it and turned towards the horizon, the sun was starting to rise. “Maker help him, hopefully he’ll realize, before it’s too late.


	8. A Harmless Hobby

Cassian was sitting at a small worktable outside of Vigil’s keep, adjacent to Herren and Wade’s workshop. He was hunched over it concentrating deeply, there were tons of odd tools used for runecrafting and other instruments of fine detail surrounding him. At this point most people were content to leave Cassian to his own devices. He had proven... erratic over the last few months since taking up his post as Warden Commander. 

Recently Cassian had started to buy large sums of gold and silver, although no one could figure out why he would do such a thing. On the other hand, he had also invested a large amount of money into reinforcing that walls of Vigil’s keep and had ordered a large sum of everite and volcanic atrium. Both where high quality rocks, but  neither would be practical for making a stronger wall. Their true intention a mystery to everyone except perhaps Cassian. 

As the sun started to set over the keep, Voldrik approached Cassian. “Warden Commander,” He spoke confidently. Cassian looked up slightly annoyed about being interrupted in the middle of his work. “I just wanted to inform you that the walls are coming along nicely and that they will be done in a few months time. You will command a keep with the strongest walls in Ferelden.” The pride in his work apparent in his voice. 

Cassian smiled slightly, glad that reparations were going so smoothly. “I am glad to hear so Voldrik, I have no doubt that the walls surrounding the keep will rival that of even a dwarven thaig.” At his comment Voldrik looked as though he may burst, he beamed brightly at Cassian.

“You are too kind Commander. I will do my best to live up to your expectations.” Voldrik glanced down at Cassian’s work table his eyebrow rising in surprise. “Are those runecrafting tools I see? I was not aware that you had taken up such a prestigious, albeit challenging dwarven tradition.”   
  
At his Cassian grinned almost wickedly. “Oh am _quiet_ of fan of runecrafting. A dwarf by the name of Sandal taught me during the Blight. I was actually able to achieve a mastery of the trade while I was in Orzammar.” At this Voldrik nodded impressed by Cassian’s ability. “Of course after I became a master I was able to turn my attention to other endeavors that the skill offered me. Would you like to see? I would love a second opinion. I was going to ask Nathaniel, but hearing feedback from multiple sources is always good.”   
  
Voldrik nodded and moved around the table to get a better look at what Cassian was working. If he was being honest with himself he was slightly afraid to see what Cassian had made. The elf was hard to pin down. Once Voldrik was around the table he was able to get a good. It turns of his fears were well founded. Below him was a very small stone with a flat face, with a picture carved into it. “Is that…” He started flushing profusely. “Is that an elf having sex with the king of Ferelden?” Voldrik asked looking utterly embarrassed.

“Perhaps.” Was all Cassian supplied his face giving nothing away.

“She looks incredibly unhappy about her situation.” 

“Yes!!!” Cassian shouted jumping up from his station cackling maniacally. Voldrik looked at him concerned by his reaction. “That is exactly what I was hoping for. I’ve been working on the design for weeks.”

“And uh… what exactly are you planning to do with this design?” Vordik asked slightly concerned.

“Why I’m going to start creating and distributing my own currency for the area.” Cassian said with a very serious expression on his face.

“Can… can you do that?” Voldrik asked bewildered.

“The real question my friend, why can’t I do that? So far there exists no law saying that I can’t do such a thing.”   
  
“Well, ok then.” Voldrik said backing away slightly. “I’m just er… going to keep at the wall. Good luck with all of that.” He said turning and walking away as fast as he could. 

As he walked away Cassian clapped his hands together. A smirk on his face. “Herren! Please grab all of the gold from the vault and a large amount of wax! It’s time to get to work.”

***

“Ser, we have received another letter from Denerim demanding that we stop creating our own currency.” Nathaniel said entering Cassian’s room and waving the letter around exasperatedly.

Cassian looked up from where he was working at his desk and rolled his eyes exasperatedly. “Unless there is a law stating that I can’t do such a thing I will continue. It’s not like we don’t have enough gold.” 

Nathaniel stared at him as if he was insane. “Yes, but it's gold that we could be saving or using for other endeavors. You’re wasting it on this strange flight of fancy.”

“Ok first of all.” Cassian said coming to stand in front of him. “This is a normal flight of fancy, I am totally fine. And second, it’s my money I can do what I want with it. I’m funding my hobby.”   
  
“Well perhaps you need a different hobby.” Nathaniel grumbled.

At this Cassian eyes narrowed. “Maybe I do… sculpting has taken off in Orlais... nonetheless that is a problem for another time. Now, are we still on for practice later? I think my aim is improving.”    
  
Nathaniel chuckled at that. And started to leave the room. “Your aim is horrible my friend. But I will continue to teach if not for any other reason than to save the other Amaranthinian’s from you current hobby.”    
  
“Hey,” Cassian said grinning and following Nathaniel. “My aim is amazing, as is my currency.”

“You wish.” Nathaniel called after him, laughter in his voice. 

***

The sounds of trumpets was the only warning they had that the King himself had arrived. It was early morning, like  _ really _ early morning. Cassian stumbled out of the keep still in his nightclothes. Slightly disoriented as to what was happening.

The main gates opened and in strode Alistair looking as Kingly as ever. He looked very much the same as he had the last time Cassian had seen him. He still had that slightly boyishness to him, the hint of a beard that refused to actually grow in, and the same pissed off expression that he had the last time they’d been in a room together. “I think the King has shrunk.” Cassian whispered loudly to Nathaniel he was standing beside him, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.   
  
“I have told you multiple times already. People are not shrinking, you are growing taller.” Nathaniel said exasperatedly. 

Cassian snorted at his comment. “I’ll that under advisement.” It was the same thing he said every time Nathaniel brought up his growth spurt. 

As they  were quietly bickering Alistair walked up to Cassian, looking incredibly unhappy to see him. He then shoved a rolled up piece of paper into his hands. “I hope you’re happy, this was drafted last night by Anora and myself and as we speak it is being circulated all over Ferelden.” 

Cassian raised an eyebrow at him and then rolled open the paper reading it quickly. Nathaniel stood behind him reading over his shoulder. 

“It’s a new law stating that it is illegal to create and circulate money unless you have been given approval by the royal family. Cassian, you nearly toppled the economy of Ferelden! Why would you do something like that?” Alistair asked tiredly.

“I needed a hobby.” Cassian said flatly. 

Alistair looked ready to hit him. “So you’re telling me that you created currency depicting me and- and Amira  _ having sex _ , just because you were  _ bored _ ?”

“...Yeah.”

Alistair sighed looking up at the sky. “Maker help me. You are not to create currency ever again? Is that clear.”   
  
“Of course.” Cassian said amicably. “I was going to move onto a new hobby anyway. Also why Ferelden never had a law outlining this before is beyond me.” 

“We don’t have it because no one would ever be so wasteful with their gold.” Alistair said frustration clear in his voice.

Cassian sighed at that. “How very Ferelden of you.” He said turning to walk back to the keep. As always, it was a pleasure seeing you Alistair. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to get started on my new hobby. Lots to do, lots to do.” He called back as he walked inside.

“What is his new hobby, and should I be concerned?” Alistair asked looking at Nathaniel.

“I believe he mentioned something about sculpture making. And I have found that with him you should always be slightly concerned.” Nathaniel said bowing slightly to the king and walking back inside. 

“Maker help me. That man is going to kill me.” Alistair said turning and walking back towards his escourt. “Come on men, let's go home.” 


	9. Full Circle

Amira growled at the sky. The heavens had opened and it was pouring rain. As it had been for the last four days. She was about to go back into Orzammar and who knows when she would see the sun again? Probably months. She would have liked to see the blue sky one last time before descending down into darkness. 

Beside her Basil whined, sensing that there was a change coming. She patted his head absently in comfort. “Com’on boy, lets finish this.” 

She took a deep breath and together they entered the gates Orzammar. 

***

Amira walked briskly through the mainstreet of Orzammar. She wanted to get to the Deep Roads as quickly as possible. It was likely that if Behlen found out she was here he would try and stop her. The Anvil was a sacred piece of Dwarven history and a powerful weapon. It stood to reason that he would want to keep it. 

“Warden! Halt.” A voice from behind her called out.

Amira froze and swore softly to herself. Slowly she turned to see several of the city guards approaching her. Beside her Basil growled baring his teeth. It seemed to give the men pause for a second, but still they approached her.    


“The King would like an audience with you.” The leader of the group said gruffly. 

She was outnumbered and outmatched right now. Amira would play along, but if it came down to it she needed to be ready to make a quick escape. She nodded to the guard and followed him through the city to the Noble District. The city looked very much the same since she had last seen it. The biggest difference was perhaps the distinct lack of fanatics trying to kill her.

Finally they reached the palace entrance. Vartag was waiting for them outside. 

“Warden Amira, it is an honour to have you back in Orzammar.” He said bowing to her.

Amira inclined her head but said nothing. Following him as he lead her to the throne room where Behlen was. Upon her entrance the King rose to greet her.

“Warden Surana, by the stone, it is good to have you here. Leave us.” He commanded the rest of the room. Once the room was empty Amira finally spoke.

“I have to admit, I was not expecting such a warm welcome.”    
  
Behlen chuckled darkly and poured himself a drink. “It would seem that Orzammar needs your help once again. Branka has gone insane with power. I commanded her to stop making Golems after the Blight ended, as we agreed, but she would have none of it. She sealed herself away in the Deep Roads. In a fortress that is nigh impenetrable.”

“I’m sorry, I’m just not sure how I can help with that? I mean that's why I'm here, but I’m just one person.” She had not anticipated Branka locking away the Anvil, this complicated things. They should have destroyed the damn thing when they had the chance.   
  
“Yes! But you are also Grey Warden. I need you to lead a strike team to infiltrate the fortress, kill Branka, and destroy the Anvil.” Behlen said this as if it was the easiest thing ever.    
  
“Oh, is that all?” Behlen looked at her expectantly. Amira shifted slightly embarrassed as she realized that was exactly what he wanted of her. “I was coming here to destroy the Anvil anyway. I will help you.”   
  
“Excellent!” Behlen exclaimed clapping his hands together. “Follow me, I will introduce you to your team.”

Behlen led Amira and Basil out of the throne room and down the hall to the private apartments. He opened one of the doors to reveal a dwarven man and woman sitting on the couches in the room. 

“May I present to you Renn and Sigrun of the Legion of the Dead. Legionnaires, this is Warden Amira Surana. She will be the one leading you on your mission.”

Renn and Sigrun stood and bowed slightly before Amira. “It is an honour to meet the Hero of Ferelden.”

Amira shifted slightly, uncomfortable with the title. “It is a pleasure to meet you. I’m glad to have some extra help on this mission.    
  
Renn nodded gruffly and Sigrun smiled. 

“I must take my leave now. You three prepare for your trip and I will see you when you return. Renn and Sigurn bowed to the King and Amira nodded. 

Amira looked at the two dwarves and smiled. “Ok, let's get to work.”


	10. Deals

“And so we meet again.”   
  
Cassian wrinkled his nose slightly at the sight of the Architect. The guy was just... really creepy looking. Cassian, Anders, Justice and Nathaniel had tracked  the Darkspawn leader to Drake’s Fall in hopes of stopping whatever attack was planned next for the Wardens. They had, of course met before. It had been while Nathaniel had been away in Denerim. Meeting the leader of the talking darkspawn had go okish. Like, no one had died... but that was probably partially the Architect had killed a lot of Grey Warden's already. None the less Cassian was... curious. The Architect was doing something and it involved the Grey Warden's perhaps he could spin this to his advantage.

“I owe you an apology, Commander. When we last met I intended to explain myself. Fate however, intervened.” The Architect continued.

“I think you mean you escaped.” Cassian snapped. 

“I restrained you to prevent the misunderstanding that occurred with the rest of your order.” The Architect said, floating rather gracefully for a ten foot tall Darkspawn, down to Cassian and the other Wardens. 

“You mean the type of misunderstanding where you attack my family’s old home and kill our brothers and sisters?” Nathaniel bit out. Insulted by the very notion of what the Architect was implying.

“I sent the Withered to ask for the Grey Warden’s help. I should have anticipated that you might view our approach as an attack. I am rarely able to judge how your kind will react. It was most unfortunate.”

“Why did you wish our help?” Cassian asked.

“My kind has been driven to seek out the Old Gods. This is our nature. When we find one, a Blight is begun. Each time we attack your surface lands, you fight back until we are defeated. To break the cycle, my brethren must be freed of their compulsions. For that, I need Grey Warden blood.”

“Oh well then please. Sign us all up to be donors.” Anders growled out, his grip on his staff tightening. 

“In order to become what you are, you drink the blood of my kind. To transform. Similarly, we must transform. I have created a version of your Joining that uses the blood of the Grey Wardens. You take the taint into yourself. What we take is your resistance. That is how my brothers are freed. In your blood lies the key to our immunity against the call of the Old Gods.”

“If this will stop the Blight and the deaths of thousands of innocents, then we need to consider it.” said Justice.

“An easy choice for the spirit.” Anders bit out. 

“What happens when the Darkspawn can speak?” Cassian asked. Helping the Darkspawn may not even be worth it depending on what they intended to do afterwards.  

“Once they are freed, the Darkspawn think for themselves, they speak, they act. Some, however, have reacted poorly. They are flawed and they rage against me. The Mother gathers them to stop me… as she seeks to stop you. I cannot defeat the Mother alone. And I cannot free the Darkspawn unless she is defeated. Our goals are the same.”   
  
“Darkspawn or no, he has a good point. Do we really want to keep killing each other forever? Nathaniel asked, it would seem that the Architect had swayed his opinion. 

“Help me kill the Mother, after it is done I will leave to continue my work.”

“Tell me, do you think you could eventually find a cure for the taint in Warden’s as well?” Cassian asked.

“Possibly, for now my goals are to free my brethren. That does not mean I would be unwilling to look into this for you.” 

“Very well, we will ally with you.” Cassian agreed.

“What if he’s wrong? What if this doesn't stop the Blight but, makes something worse?” Anders asked nervously. 

“Thank you Commander. I realize what a leap of faith this is for you. I hope that I prove worthy of your trust.” The Architect said ignoring Anders.   
  
“Well you know me. I’m a huge fan of… leaping…” Cassian trailed off lamely. “There’s a joke in there somewhere I missed it.” He muttered to himself.

“Yes you seemed to have failed at leaping far enough to find it.” Nathaniel added smirking. Cassian barked a laugh and grinned at him.

“Can we please get back on task? Architect, where is the Mother?” Anders asked exasperated. Honestly it was like herding cats with those two sometimes. And Anders would know, he owned six. 

“The Mother lies ahead. I cannot approach her physically- her children protect her from my power. When you reach her I will do whatever I can to help you. You have my promise.” 

***

Cassian and the others started off towards the Mother’s layer. They fought their way through sorts of disgusting creatures before they finally arrived at their goal. The Mother. 

“What. Is. That” Nathaniel asked disgusted at the sight of the hulking Broodmother. 

“Now the pieces are all in place! The Grey Warden comes, the instrument of the Father! Oh and the Father, he is but a shadow! Oh how my children protect me! How they love me!”

Suddenly the Architect appeared beside Cassian. Cassian shrieked in a rather unmanly manner and jumped about a foot in the air. Nathaniel snickered at the sight. The Architect seemed unfazed by Cassian’s reaction.

“I have told you many times, Mother, I am not ‘the Father.’ I am simply the Architect.”

“It does not change what you are! You took away my beautiful music! Left us with nothing!”   
  
“It was a mistake to free you. It has left you with madness. I am truly sorry.”

Sorry, you’re sorry. You were the one who started the Blight to begin with. You are the mad one.” the Mother shrieked horribly.

Cassian looked at the Architect curiously. He hung his head sadly. “I did not mean to. I found the Old God UTHSJHB while he slept. I attempted my Joining ritual on him in hopes that it would unravel the curse at the source. Free all the Darkspawn. Alas, I was unlucky. Is it not the way of the Wardens to do what must be done, in the name of combating the Blight? The Blight is a menace, both for your people and mine. To end it requires sacrifice and risk.”

“And how lonely the Father was. How terrible to be the outcast, the outsider! He claims he wishes the Darkspawn to be free. What he truly wants is to correct them!”   
  
“Whatever you feel about what I have done, the Mother is mad. She cannot be allowed to-”   
  
“Begone, shadow! You cannot harm the Mother anymore then you already have! And now the hero is alone. Oh the Mother knows your ways. You will not let her be, no… not after what she’s done. So it must end. It all must come crashing down!”

“Will you please shut up!” Cassian demanded exasperatedly. With that he spun and flung one of his swords directly at the Mother. It embedded itself in her head and she slumped forward, dead. 

“Well that was rather anticlimactic.” Anders observed.

“You will find that most things are in life.” Cassian said walking over and pulling his sword out of her head. Around them Darkspawn began to scatter and hide. Their leader defeated. “Come on, let's get out of here.” Cassian said leading the party back to towards the surface. 


	11. Paradise Lost

“Ser!” A guard burst into Cassian's room. The Warden- Commander let out a rather unflattering shriek as he was startled awake and fell out of his bed. “The city of Amaranthine is under attack!” The guard stared at him frantically hoping that Cassian would say something or do something heroic. Unfortunately Cassian's attention was more focused on disentangling himself from his bed sheets then it was on the impending deaths of the citizens ofAmaranthine. 

“Ok.” Cassian said casually as he unwound a sheet from his leg.

“Ser, the city is under attack by a horde of _darkspawn_! It may be heading here next. Please do something!” The guard begged.

“ _Ugh_ fine, summon the Wardens and have them meet me in the main hall.” Cassian said rolling his eyes, clearly exasperated. The guard nodded and ran out of the room. Cassian sighed and finished untagling himself. He walked across his room and started to change into his armor, grabing his swords on the way out.

***

The other Wardens had already arrived in the main hall. Waiting for Cassian to make his grand entrance. The group looked at him expectantly. “Lovely to see you all this fine evening.” Cassian said casually.

Why is this happening? Could it be because you killed both of the darkspawn leaders?” Velanna asked worriedly.

“Possibly, most likely these darkspawn are acting on instinct. Carrying out the last directives of their masters.” Cassian lied. The Architect still lived, but he doubted this attack was his doing. It was more likely that the remaining Darkspawn that followed the Mother where attacking out of revenge, or just attacking cause they had nothing better to do. Cassian had sworn Nathaniel, Justice and Anders to secrecy, no one but them truly knew the events that had transpired that night with the Mother and Architect. Out of the corner of his eye he saw them all watching him intently, perhaps they had hoped he would share the truth with the group.

“The horde is almost the Amaranthine and more are heading towards us. What do you wish us to do?” Nathaniel finally asked.

“Velanna, Justice, Oghren will stay here and defend the Keep. Anders, Nathaniel and I will head to Amaranthine to fight the horde.” Cassian directed.

“What? That’s a waste. Amaranthine is lost. We should stay here and protect the Keep.” Velanna argued.

“What is the point of being a Grey Warden if we are not saving people from Darkspawn?” Cassain asked. “We do what we need to do. But if there is no one left to live in the world after we are done, then why bother? I trust you the others to defend the Keep. It’s been reinforced, the wall is finished, and we have plenty of soldiers. The same cannot be said for Amaranthine. Oghren, you’re in charge until the fight is over.”

“Aye Commander. The Darkspawn won’t know what hit them.”   
  
Cassian smiled and nodded at Oghren’s enthusiasm. “Let’s get to work.”

***

People were screaming, half the city was on fire, and there was Darkspawn everywhere. So things were not looking to great for Amaranthine.

“Well, this could be a lot worse.” Cassian commented standing before the gates of the city. Nathaniel and Anders looked at him like he was insane. “Let’s move.”

The three of them charged into the fray. Nathaniel and Anders immediately flanked Cassian from behind. Laying down suppressive fire as he moved ahead whipping his swords in great arcs, taking down multiple darkspawn as he went.

They effectively cleared the city gates in a matter of minutes. The guards joining into the fight to help as much as they could. The Wardens, with the help of the city guard ventured further and further into Amaranthine. Taking back more of the city as they went.

After what felt like hours, most of the darkspawn had been pushed back, they were mostly cornered at one end of the city market. The whole area was in ruin. The darkspawn rushed about looking for cover or escape. Anything that would gain an advantage. Cassian made his way along the edge of the street, Anders and Nathaniel close behind him.

Suddenly the door to one of the shops across the way slammed open and a pregnant woman with black hair ran out. Following close behind her was a darkspawn general. Cassian was so startled by the appearance of the woman that for a split second he thought he was looking at _her…_

“Delilah!” Nathaniel screamed moving to run. Cassian snapped out of his slight stupor, and he lunged forward and grabbed Nathaniel dragging him back down. “What are you doing? That is my sister.” Nathaniel shouted.

“Cover me.” Cassian hissed as he bolted forward. He charged towards the darkspawn general and the woman. Suddenly there was a shooting pain in his calf. Someone had shot his leg. Cassian stumbled slightly but kept running. He needed to save the woman and kill the general. Once what was clearly the defacto leader of the darkspawn was dead then all of this would be over.

He was only a few feet away now, two more new pains tore through him, one in his lower abdomen, and another in his upper left arm.

Cassian reached the General and swung his sword jabbing it in the right arm. As he did another arrow shot through his left forearm. “Damnit Nathaniel!! Kill that fucking archer!” He shouted as he grabbed Delilah and shoving her behind him, out of immediate harm's way.

Cassian did his best to hold off the darkspawn, fighting it as best he could with his non lame arm. He tried to feint left and spin in hopes of getting a shot at an exposed artery, but he stumbled. His leg with the arrow in it giving out.

The darkspawn general grabbed him roughly, spinning him around so that his back was to the general. His sword to Cassian’s neck. Cassian stared out at the market place. He saw that Delilah had made it to Anders who was checking her for injuries. Nathaniel was near him, his arrow knocked, a conflicted expression on his face. In that instant Cassian realize that Nathaniel had a clear shot. He nodded to him, still Nathaniel made no move to fire.

“Do it!” Cassian screamed at Nathaniel. Quickly Nathaniel fired his arrow, it flew through the air and embedded itself in Cassian’s left shoulder, continuing though and puncturing the darkspawn general’s heat. He felt the darkspawn jerk against him, and then crumple the ground, Cassian falling with him.

He faintly heard what sounded like Nathaniel shouting, but it was hard to tell as the darkness closed in. Amidst all of the chaos and pain a sense of serenity came over him. He was probably about to die, he figured he would be more afraid. Nothing more then death scared him. Cassian supposed it was probably because death wouldn't really be much different from his life, there was no point. Not with her in it...

As the inky darkness of unconsciousness swirled around him a deep sense of sorrow and regret came over him. Which was... odd, those weren't really emotions Cassian felt. Not that it would matter in a few moments anyway.

After a few more moments the world faded to black.


	12. Tying Up Loose Ends

The distant sounds of battle echoed through the tunnel. Far ahead Behlen and his men launched a full on assault on Branka’s foretess. Amira winced slightly as she heard the distinct sound of bones being crunched as a golem most likely crushed a warrior. Many men were going to die, all for the sake of a distraction. 

Behlen’s scouts had informed Amira that the fortress Branka hid in was actually an ancient home belonging to the dwarven House Kader, which had died out during the Second Blight. This specific area of the Deep Roads had fallen to darkspawn during the Dark Age. Branka had used her army of golems to retake this area. The Shaperate had been able to identify the sigils marking the house and had been able to locate some of it’s history.

That is where Amira had gotten very lucky. The history of the fortress had some _very_ specific blueprints of the layout of the home. They had revealed a hidden secret entrance that could be used to escape into or out of the home. Most likely in the event that another House tried to attack them. 

The plan was simple. Amira, Basil, Renn, and Sigrun were to sneak into the fortress while Behlen’s army distracted Branka. From there they would locate and destroy the Anvil which had been conveniently moved into Branka’s new living space. Behlen had also asked that they kill Branka if they had an opportunity. Not that Amira needed much convincing after what happened the last time she was in the Deep Roads.

Presently Renn and Sirgun where checking the rocks to find the entrance to the fortress. Amira shifted anxiously as they searched. People were dying, and they were literally playing with rocks. This situation was becoming a lot more stressful than Amira had anticipated. 

“Found it!” Sigurn shouted victoriously. Beside her was an outcropping of rocks. If you looked at it just right you could see that it was fractured all the way from ceiling to ground. It was the entrance. 

“Come on! We need to move quickly!” Amira said plunging forward, the rest of the group close behind her.

***

It took them a while to make their way through the tunnel but eventually they found their way into Branka’s fortress.

They followed the tunnel upwards and eventually exited into a large room. It looked like the great hall back at the palace in Orzammar, only much more rundown, and not as well lit. 

Standing before them where at least twelve golems. Everyone immediately drew their weapons. Amira started firing ice blasts at them in hopes of either freezing the Golems or weakening their defenses enough that Renn or Sigrun could land a killing blow. Basil ran around the room herding the golems and doing what he could to keep them from attacking Amira.

The fight began to stretch on, Amira felt herself tiering. They needed to end the battle soon. Once these golems were out of the way they still had to find the Anvil and Branka, they needed to conserve energy.

Amira cast about wildly, looking for some sort of structural flaw in the building. Perhaps she could collapse part of the room on the golems. Then she saw it, faintly glowing. A vein of lyrium. Quickly she fired another blast of ice at the golem nearest to her and then she took off running towards the vein. 

She shoved her hand into the lyrium and breathed deep, drawing on its power. She felt like the Minanter River was rushing through her body. Amira gave a shout and then let out an enormous blast of energy. Sigrun, Renn and Basil ran for cover as the golems were blown backwards with so much force that they crumbled once they hit the walls. 

“By the stone! I had no idea such a small woman could do that!” Renn exclaimed staring at the destroyed room in shock.    
  
Amira chuckled weakly and tried to walk. Her legs immediately gave out from under her and she collapsed onto the ground. Sigrun ran to help her up. 

“I wouldn’t recommend touching the lyrium again, it would probably be too much and kill you.” Sigrun said quietly, helping her stand. Amira wrapped her arm around her shoulder and nodded. Renn walked over and handed Amira her staff back.    
  
“We know the Anvil uses lyrium to create golems. I’m betting that if we follow this vein we’ll eventually find it.”   
  
Amira nodded in agreement and together the four of them traveled farther into the fortress. 

Eventually they started upwards, following the vein to the upper levels of the fortress. After some time they came to a large locked door.

“Sigrun, can you pick this?” Renn asked looking over his shoulder at her. Sigurn nodded and Renn moved to help Amira stand while Sigrun started to work on the lock. 

Five minutes later there was a resounding click and the door swung open. The group walked into the room and Renn and Sigrun both let out a gasp as they took in the Anvil of the Void. 

“It’s more impressive then I could have ever imagined.” Renn said awestruck. Beside him, Sigrun wordlessly nodded her agreement.

“We need to destroy it. We need to find the hammer for the Anvil, if we strike it with the hammer we can destroy it!” Amira supplied.

“Ok but where is the hammer.” Sigrun asked looking around the room.

“Looking for this?” The group spun around to see Branka standing in the passage they had just entered. She was flanked by four golems. In her right hand was the hammer for the Anvil. In her left, the control rod for said golems.

“Give us the hammer Branka.” Amira ordered, doing nothing to disguise her contempt for the woman.

“Think not. Besides, it doesn't seem like you are in much of a position to be telling me what to do.” Branka said eyeing Amira. She was still weakened from her earlier fight. “I must admit, I am impressed, having Behlen’s army attack while you sneak in was a smart plan. Let me guess, the Shaperate told you of a secret entrance to the fortress?”   
  
“How did-” 

“This fortress is both famous and old, I figured it would have multiple entrances and exits that even I haven’t found yet.” Branka said cutting of Sigrun’s question.

“Either way, we're going to need that hammer now.” Renn said drawing his broadaxe. 

Branka barked a cruel laugh. “You can try, but you will fail. Golems, attack.”   
  
The four golems charged forward. Renn met them head on, doing his best to hold them off. Basil ran between the legs of the golems trying to unbalance them. Amira stood on shaky feet throwing whatever spells she could. Not that they were much help, she was out of energy.

As Amira tried to help with the assault she noticed Sigrun creeping around the edge of the fight, making her way to Branka who watched the fight with rapt attention. 

“I will allow you to live, only so that I can turn you into a golem as well. It will be curious to see what the Anvil will do to an elf-NO!” Branka shrieked as Sigrun launched herself at her, knocking the control rod out of her hand and tackling her to the ground. 

The two of them rolled around on the ground trying to wrestle for the hammer. Branka landed a punch to Sigrun’s face knocking her away. Branka then stood up holding it above her head. Amira watched helplessly as Branka advanced on Sigrun who was scrambling backwards trying to get away. 

“Time to return to the stone.” Branka snarled as brought the hammer down ready to crush Sigrun’s skull with it.

“It’s not time for my death, not yet.” Sigrun said. She reached behind her and grabbed the control rod holding it in front of her like some sort of shield. The hammer collided with the rod shattering it. Branka let out a scream of anger as it fell apart. 

The golems in the room froze for a second. Then, slowly, they all rounded on Branka, and began to advance. Branka started backing away.

“I command you to stop!” She said desperately. “I am your Paragon! You will do as I say!” Still the golems advanced.

Amira closed her eyes and looked away. She heard a horrible scream from Branka and a nauseating crunching sound. The smell of blood filled the room.

When she opened her eyes the four golems were standing before her. One of them holding the hammer in its hand. Renn and Sigrun both looked at Amira, not entirely sure what to do next.    
  
“Renn take the hammer and destroy the Anvil, now.”    
  
He nodded and took the hammer from the golem. He rounded on the Anvil and brought the hammer down, shattering it. A bright light filled the room and then disappeared. Amira watched as the golems wordlessly made their way out of the room.

“Where are they going?” Sigrun asked.

“I don't know.” Amira answered. “But it's their choice.”

***

The party exited out of the front of Fort Kader, Renn supporting Amira as she walked. Sigrun and Basil were slightly ahead of them. 

Behlen ran up to them, a thrilled expression on his face. “You did it, the golems stopped fighting and just left! Were you able to kill Branka as well?” He asked eagerly.

“Yes, my king.” Renn said bowing as best he could while still supporting Amira. 

“Excellent. Now there will be no one to question my authority as king. You have brought peace to Orzammar. The ancestors will remember this. Come, let us return to the capital. We will have a great feast to celebrate all that we have achieved here.”   
  
With that he turned and walked off. The rest of the group not far behind. Amira, was glad that this was over. Glad that she had been able to clean up at least one of Cassian’s messes. 


	13. Crossroads

Cassian lay on his bed in Amaranthine staring at the ceiling, thinking. He’d been bedridden for the better part of the last three weeks. Five arrows, he’d been shot with five arrows during the Battle for Amaranthine City. Although according to Nathaniel people were starting to call it the Battle of the Five Arrows. One arrow to the chest, one to the right thigh, two in the left shoulder and of course another arrow lower down the same arm. When he’d awoken Anders told that he’d never regain full mobility of his left arm. He’d have to start using one sword now or risk damaging his arm further.

Over the last few weeks Nathaniel had taken over the day to day activities of Amaranthine, they had a wall to rebuild, farmland to protect, and new soldiers to train. Apparently the battle had motivated more people to join the Wardens. Which was good, even with the Blight over they were going to need the numbers. Maintaining a presence was important. 

Cassian sighed, he didn’t want to go back to leading. He was good at it, he was good at most things, he’d saved lives and protected the land from a new threat. Despite that he couldn’t help but feel completely unsatisfied. He had never wanted to live in Ferelden, Warden or no. This was not the life he had wanted. But what choice did he have, he had nowhere else to be. There was no point in joining the Orlesian Court, he’d already climbed as high as he could, the Game would be a bore. 

He supposed he could set his sights on the Wardens, try to climb higher, amass more power. That could be fun, for a time. But then again, it circled back to the having to lead people thing. 

Of course there was always the thing he had so vehemently sworn he would never do. Find Morrigan. In the few seconds between when he had passed out at end of the battle and when he’d been dragged to safety by Nathaniel, he’d felt her through the ring. Months of silence and then suddenly he’d felt her. She felt regret and sorrow, whether it was for him or something else he could not be sure. It was all he had felt before the connection had been lost. Most likely she had never intended him to feel that to being with.

More than anything he wanted to be with her. She made life interesting, but Morrigan had wanted to be away from him. He had always made a point to respect her wishes especially when it came to their relationship. No, he would stay here and continue to lead as part of his deal with Amira. 

Cassian’s mind drifted back to his conversation with Nathaniel, it had been about two months since then.  _ ‘None of this crap of putting what you want completely aside just so she can have what she wants.’  _ Cassian shifted slightly on the bed trying to get more comfortable. Perhaps Nathaniel had a point. During the last battle of the Blight Morrigan had wanted to be in the thick of it. He hadn’t refused her but he had wanted to, she had been pregnant after all. Then she’d been injured and lost the child. If he had just said something she wouldn’t have been hurt and the child wouldn’t have died. Cassian let out a small sob, finally allowing himself to feel the full weight of the guilt he’d been trying so hard to ignore for so long. 

He lay in his bed crying softly at a lost future. It occurred to him that if the baby had not died he would most likely have tried to find Morrigan and their child. To convince her to let him be apart of their lives. To be some sort of a family. Just because one of the variables was gone didn’t mean that he shouldn't try. If she did not want him after he could accept that, knowing that he had done everything he could. 

Cassian realized that he now had a decision to make, go against Morrigan’s wishes or stay the course and truly step into his role as Commander of the Grey Wardens.

Groaning in pain, for the first time in three weeks Cassian sat upright on his bed. Unsteadily he stood and started to move slowly around his room gathering the things he would need for what was to come. He carefully he put his injured arm in a sling. He stopped at his desk and wrote a few letters for Nathaniel he would need his affairs to be in order. 

Once he was done Cassian slowly made his way out of the castle. It was night, and he moved about with relative ease, most of the soldiers sleeping or wandering the grounds. Finally he made it outside, he took in the splendor of the Keep that he had worked so hard to maintain. It needed work, again, but most great things did. Cassian looked south towards the Kocari Wilds, it was as good anywhere to start looking. Stay or go. Lead or love. Cassian closed his eyes. He was ready to move on. 

Cassian steeled himself for what was to come. He had a witch to find.


	14. Recruitment

Amira blinked as she took in the daylight. It was the first time that she had been on the surface in about four months. She smiled as Basil barked happily beside her, chasing bugs, clearly as excited to be in the sunshine as she was. 

“Excuse me, I don’t mean to bother, but you wouldn’t happen to be Warden Amira Surana, would you?” Amira turned to see a young man standing before her looking very nervous.

“I am.” Amira said slightly suspicious. “Who wants to know?” 

“Oh! Um, I was sent by the acting Commander of the Wardens of Amaranthine.” the man said sweating under her intense gaze. “He heard that you where in this area and- well... he- he asked that I give you this letter.” 

Amira took the letter that was offered to her by the slightly sweaty man. “Thanks…” The man nodded meekly and took off down the mountain. Wanting to escape her stare as soon as he could. 

That was odd. Why would Cassian send her a letter? That was very unlike him. Curiously she opened it.

_ Dear Amira Surana, _

_ I am writing to you on behalf of Warden Commander Cassian Tabris. On the 6th day of Solis, Commander Tabris left the order to deal with a personal matter. I have been placed temporarily in charge of the Wardens of Ameriathine until the position is officially filled. Commander Tabris has requested that you come to Vigils Keep to fill his position as soon as you can.  _

_ We look forward to having you with us, Commander. _

_ -Nathaniel Howe _

“Flames.” Amira muttered to herself staring at the sky. Of course he would abandon the Wardens for some selfish pursuit of his own. She didn’t really want to run a Keep full of Wardens, but as with all things Cassian, he had left her almost no choice, because what else could she do? Abandon the order? No, she wasn't him. 

Although, this was honestly not a trip that she really wanted to make herself. Suddenly Amira straightened slightly as an idea come to her. “Wait here, Basil.” She said to her mabari. She didn't want to bring him back down to the darkness. Amira then turned and ran back towards the entrance of Orzammar. If she was quick she may be able to find what she was looking for.

***

It was close,  but she just managed to catch Sigrun and Renn before they entered the Deep Roads.

“Wait!” Amira called out as she closed the last few feet between them. 

“Amira? What are you doing here? I thought you returned to the surface.” Renn asked puzzled by Amira’s sudden, albeit breathless appearance. 

“I just found out that I am to be Amaranthine’s new Arlessa.” Amira puffed out trying to catch her breath. Sigrun and Renn shared a confused look still not entirely sure why Amira would come back here.

“Are you trying to join the Legion to get out of the responsibility?” Renn asked half joking half serious. “You know we only let Dwarves in, right?” 

Amira smiled at his joke. “Actually, I was going to ask if either of you wanted to come with me and join the Wardens.”

Both of the Dwarves shared a surprised look, not expecting the offer.    
  
“I am honoured by your offer, but I must decline.” Renn said kindly. 

Beside him Sigrun was quiet a little longer. “I will join.” She finally said.  

Renn looked at her surprised. “You want to join?”

“Yes.” Sigrun said nodding. “I want to see more then just the darkness.”

Renn looked sad but nodded. “It has been an honor serving with you Sigrun. I wish you the best. Amira Surana, may we meet again.” With that he turned and walked through the entrance of the Deep Roads. 

Sigrun watched him leave sadly, Amira put her hand reassuringly on her shoulder. “Come on. I can’t wait to show you the sun!”   
  
Sigrun smiled excitedly at her statement. Together they their journey, heading towards the light.


	15. Reunited

Cassian’s masterful plan to find Morrigan was not going as well as he’d hoped. It had taken him nearly a month and a half alone just to get to the Kocari Wilds, navigating them had been no small feat either. His arm injury was still bad, he’d been doing stretches and exercises to help strengthen it, but he couldn’t raise it past his shoulder or hold anything heavy. This had slowed him down significantly in his travels. Nonetheless he had finally made it to Morrigan’s old home.

The hut looked more rundown then it had in the past, Flemeth had clearly left at some point and had not returned. Cautiously he entered the hut, it was possible that it was bobbytrapped. He made his way slowly up to the second floor where Morrigan’s room was. It looked similar to the first time he had been there, except more dusty.

Cassian started to go through her desk, hoping to find some sort of clue as to where she may have gone. The sound of movement behind him caused Cassian to whip around drawing his sword in one fluid motion extending it outwards toward the intruder. Standing in front of him was an elven woman, clearly Dalish judging by her tattoos and the green tone of her skin. She took a few steps back, surprised by his speed, her hands raised. 

“Can I help you?” Cassian asked in a dry tone laced with sarcasm. 

“I am Ariane of the Dalish, my keeper sent me to find Asha'bellanar, the Woman of Many Years”

“A pleasure, I am Cassian Tabris, you will not find Asha'bellanar here, she left some time ago. Why do you seek her?” Cassian asked cocking his head slightly and lowering his sword, he doubted this woman was a threat. She would have attacked by now, and most likely have won. Cassian was fast, but since the Battle of Amaranthine he’d lost much of his endurance.

“We thought that she could help us find her daughter, Morrigan.” At this Cassian perked up. It would seem he had found a clue after all. “The young witch has caused trouble with my clan, has she earned your ire as well?”   
  
Cassian snorted at her question. “That sounds like Morrigan. And no she has not earned my ire. I have a question of great importance to ask her.”

“Ah, I see. Morrigan has stolen a book of great value to my clan, there is no other like it and we have had it for centuries. It was all that remained from before Tevinter enslaved the elves and we were taken by the Circles… and Morrigna stole it.” That this she fixed Cassian with suspicious look. She didn’t trust him, not that he could blame her, he wasn’t a trustworthy person. “Morrigan visited my clan about a month ago in the name of friendship, she asked to see the book and a few nights later it was gone. My keeper said the book was a treatise on something called an Eluvian, a word that is as old as the book, but it too has lost its meaning. Save perhaps to Morrigan.”

Cassian stared at her for a few moments, weighing his options. Finally he spoke. “I propose a deal, Ariane of the Dalish, you help me find Morrigan and I will help you get your book in return. Deal?”

Ariane was quiet for a moment contemplating. Finally she nodded in agreement. “The book was stolen from the Circle by an elven mage who defected to our clan. He said the library had other treasures as well. The only problem is the Circle would never let two elves just walk in and look at such valuable items.”   
  
“Then we are in luck.” Cassian said hobbling past her and moving towards the exit of the hut. Anders had done a shit job healing him Cassian reflected. “I helped the Circle with a… problem a while back, they will allow us to look in their library.”

Ariane nodded, following Cassian out of the hut. 

***

It took Cassian and Ariane about two and a half weeks to make the trip to the Circle tower. They were slowed down by Cassian's injuries. He was starting to get very tired of them. The actual time spent at the Circle was fairly quick. Locating the texts on the Eluvian was only mildly challenging. A mage named Finn helped them, making the whole process faster. Of course as with any situation ever, once a mage joins the party things have a tendency to get… a little weird.

Finn believed that the Eluvian was a sort of portal or communication device. Of course since the thing was old as balls he couldn’t be sure. So naturally he wanted to talk to someone who was alive during that age of history. Cassian was kind of over this whole nonsense. He missed Morrigan, she would never ask him to run around a basement so they could have a chat with what would turn out to be a possessed statue. Actually no, he reflected, she totally would, but it would be way more fun with her.

The wise and powerful statue suggested that they find sherds of an Eluvian as well as the Lights of Arlathan to perform a scrying ritual to find other Eluvians. Not the weirdest directions Cassian had received from an inanimate object, but it was up there. 

The three of them first fought their way through ancient elven ruins to find the sherds and then went underground to the Cad’halash Thaig. The whole thing was very reminiscent of Cassian’s journeys during the Blight. Although this time the trip was much more enjoyable. There was no Alistair or Amira wandering around spouting off about morals and goodness and the like. On the other hand he was starting to miss Sten and Zevran a bit. Perhaps once this was done and Morrigan was found he would write to them.

***   


Cassian had just about had it with all of the traveling. Between going back the the Brecilian Forest, then to the Deep Roads and then  _ back _ to western Amaranthine to find the Dragonbone Wastes. Well he was kind of over the whole thing. He’d spent nearly four and a half months traveling around Thedas only to wind up pretty much where he had started. Not cool. 

The group made their way through the wastes with relative ease. They entered a clearing of some sort. Finn and Ariane fanned out slightly waiting for an inevitable attack. Then, from above they heard it. A thunking sound as something made it’s way across the roof of one of the old ruins.

“Is- is that a Varterral?” Ariane asked her voice raising in pitch as they took in the large creature that was coming toward them rather quickly.

“I thought they were only legends.” Finn said sounding rather faint. Cassian feared that he was going to pass out, which would be horribly inconvenient given their current situation. Cassian’s arm was still in its sling, but he’d gotten much better at fighting with one sword. Still, he doubted that he and Ariane could take the monster without Finn’s help. 

“It’s supposed to be a guardian of the elven people.” Ariane said, Cassian glanced at her, she looked pretty shocked to be in the presence of a mythical creature.

“Guardian? Does he know that? Because it looks like he wants to eat you.” Finn said sounding rather alarmed at the Varterral jumped off of the roof and ran at them shrieking horribly. 

Cassian, Finn, and Ariane all drew their weapons ready to fight the creature. Finn started laying down suppressive fire hoping to slow down the creature, or at least distract it enough for Cassian and Ariane to do some effective damage. Ariane charged right down the middle while Cassian flanked it drawing the Varterral’s attention.

Ultimately Ariane was the one who slew the beast. Cassian was knocked backwards by the creature partway through the battle. The force of the blow knocked him out temporarily and he woke up with some sort of dragon bone puncturing his lower abdomen. It was  _ very _ painful. On the upside his fall was slightly cushioned by a book, which actually turned out to be the one that Ariane had been looking for in the first place. 

Cassian stumbled over to the other two and gave Ariane the book. “Thank you.” She said wide eyed hugging it close to her body.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know any healing magic or I would do something about that wound. If we move quickly we can probably find you a healer in Amaranthine.” Finn said eyeing Cassian warily.

“No.” Cassian panted out. “She is near I can feel it, I have to find her. I have to find her.” He gritted out stumbling towards the entrance of the ruins the Varterral had climbed over. He felt his good arm being lifted over Finn’s shoulders as he helped him walk towards the entrance. Ariane was close by, sword drawn and ready to attack should any other creatures appear.

Together the group entered the ruins. The building was partially submerged in water, but there was a path that led farther down. With some difficulty Cassian was able to navigate it with Finn’s help. His head was going slightly fuzzy from the amount of blood he was losing. 

Finally at the end of the path there was an uprising that led to an island in the center of the water. On it was an Eluvian, activated and ready for use. Pacing in front of it was Morrigan. Cassian let out a choked gasp and stumbled out of Finn’s arms trying to run towards Morrigan. She couldn’t leave not yet, he had to talk to her first-

He tripped and started to fall, the loss of blood making him slightly unbalanced. Just before he hit the ground he felt himself get caught and was spun slightly so that he was sitting on the ground. Looking over he saw Morrigan kneeling beside him a concerned look on her face. He was distantly aware that Finn and Ariane were hanging back, attempting to give them some privacy. 

Morrigan looked at the bloodsoaked stain that was forming under his armor and the sling that was holding his injured arm. “You are not well” She said her brow furrowing.

Cassian smiled at her. “I’ve never been better.”

“You need a healer, why did you come when you were injured? Twas foolish of you.” She said reprimanding him softly.

“Why did you stay here?” Morrigan looked away at that.

“I am leaving, for good this time… I am going to assume you know what this is.” Morrigan said gesturing to the Eluvian behind them. Cassian nodded. “I have gone to great lengths to find and activate this. Once I go through you will not be able to follow. The portal only has one more use in it. Achieving even that was difficult. The only reason I am still here is because I sensed you nearby through the ring. You didn’t take it off this time.” Morrigan noted. “Cassian, why did you really come? Twas no small feat clearly.”

Cassian’s breathing was ragged, he was pretty sure he was only a few minutes from passing out. “I came to ask you a question.”Morrigan smiled at that amused, of course he would go through all of this trouble simply to pose a question to him. She nodded for him to continue. “Do you love me?”

Morrigan balked slightly at that, surprised he would ask her something so direct. Cassian had only pushed the topic once in their relationship, and even then she had never actually said the words to him. She’d felt it of course and he had felt her love for him through the ring, still the words had never been said. “Yes.” she said the words so quietly that if Cassian had not been right next to her he would never had heard her utter the words. Nonetheless a huge smile spread across his face. Morrigan had never seen him look so happy. She glanced back at the Eluvian, it was crackling with energy, the portal would not be open for much longer. “I cannot terry, I must go now.”

She moved to raise off of the ground when she felt a hand grip her wrist. Looking down she saw that Cassian had grabbed her and was watching her with wide eyes. “Take me with you, please.” He begged quietly.

Morrigna stared at him in shock. “You...cannot know what you ask. It would be better if you stayed, for you, for us both.”

Cassian stared at her, had it been a year ago he would have yielded to her request. Not this time, he held fast. “I don’t care what’s better, I never did. I just want to be with you.”

Morrigan stared at him, her face unreadable. Cassian coughed a horrible sound, flecks of blood coming out as he did. Morrigan winced at the sight. Finally after what felt like a lifetime she spoke. “Very well my love, we shall face the future together.” She reached down and helped Cassian up, supporting his weight. He grunted in pain but did not fall. Together they walked through the Eluvian and disappeared.

“Umm… what just happened?” Finn asked Ariane confused.


	16. Change

“You have  _ got _ to be fucking kidding me…” Amira said staring open mouthed at the incredibly large and  _ highly _ realistic statue of what was clearly her and Alistair in the throes of a passionate kiss. “I’m going to kill him.” Amira stated result. “I’m going to hunt him down and kill him,  _ slowly _ .”

Sirgun shifted awkwardly beside her. “It’s nice…” 

“It’s really not.” Amira muttered as she strode towards the entrance of Vigils Keep. Sigrun and Basil hot on her heels. Just as she was about to climb up the stairs a man came out of the main doors of the Keep to meet them.

“Welcome, you must be Warden Commander Amira Surana. It is an honour to have you here. I am Nathaniel Howe. Cassian has placed me in charge of the Keep until you arrived.” 

Amira eyed the man suspiciously, Cassian had trusted him enough to place him in charge of the Keep and it’s Warden’s. Logically, she doubted she could trust him. “Thank you for the welcome, Nathaniel. This is Sigrun, a new recruit and Basil my warhound. We will need to perform the Joining ritual as soon as possible for Sigrun.”   
  
“Of course Commander. The preparations will be done immediately. In the meantime would you like a tour of our facilities?”   
  
Amira nodded and followed Nathaniel into the keep. Maker, what had she signed up for?

***

Twelve, twelve goddamned statues were on the premises of the Keep. Twelve statues of her, or her and Alistair in various states of passion or undress. According to Nathaniel, this type of “erotic art” was currently all the rage in Orlais. There was also a supposed thirteenth statue somewhere on the property. Amira was having them all taken down as soon as possible. 

As for the rest of the Keep, it seemed to be in good shape. The wall defending the Keep was being repaired, apparently Cassian had come into quite a bit of money while he was in charge. Amira was more concerned about what lay beneath. Cassian had a knack for hiding things, she could only image what a little time would reveal as to the true workings of the Keep.

***

“I- I’m sorry Commander, but it would seem that the statues are impossible to remove.” The guard squirmed slightly under Amira’s intense stare.

“What do you mean _impossible_?” Amira ground out, the air crackled with energy. She had been running the Keep for about two weeks now. Everything so far was going relatively fine. She had found some… oddities. Apparently Cassian had made all of the Warden’s line up by height before he began any meeting. According to Nathaniel, he had been growing quite a lot and wanted to measure his progress. Oghren had left not long after she had taken command, it turns out he had a child now and wanted to help raise it. He was now a reserve Warden, whatever that meant.

Cassian had also made up some truly asine lies about the Grey Wardens after going through the ritual. Such as being able to conduct electricity if struck by lightning, being able to sing at a perfect pitch, or being fireproof.

“Well…” The guard stuttered out, clearly nervous. “It would seem that it is indestructible. Voldrik has taken a look at it, and he’s not quite sure how, but apparently the previous Warden Commander figured out how to fuse Silverite and Volcanic Aurum into a new metal. It’s not budging. We even tried explosives, nothing has worked.”   
  
Amira barely stopped herself from pressing both of her hands together in front of her face in a prayer like motion. Cassian had made a statue of her doing that. She was now determined to break the habit.

“Send for Nathaniel, perhaps he can shed some light on this situation.”   
  
The guard nodded once and left quickly. 

Amira sat back in her chair and stared at the ceiling thinking. Since she had arrived she had been freezing Nathaniel out. Cassian trusted him so it stood to reason that she could not. Perhaps Nathaniel was in on it, maybe he knew how to destroy the statues that had now become the bane of her existence.

A knock on her room door signaled Nathaniel’s presence. “You wished to speak with me, Commander?” 

Amira stood up abruptly striding over to him. “How do we destroy it?” She asked.

“That statues? I haven’t a clue.” 

“Oh don’t give me that. Cassian put you in charge, he trusts you! You must know something.” Amira ranted.

Nathaniel stared at her in shock for a moment. “Is… Is that why you have been disregarding me? Because of my friendship with Cassian?”

“Yes.” Amia said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.   
  
Nathaniel barked a laugh at that. “I thought it was because of my father. But this whole time it was because of Cassian. Cassian and I are friends yes, but we have never plotted against you. He wants the Warden’s to succeed. He believed that you are the best option of that. It’s why you are in charge and not someone like Oghren.”

Amira blinked, slightly shocked by his revelation. “I don’t care about your parentage Nathaniel. And it’s good to know that Cassian want’s me to succeed. I’m not entirely sure I believe it, but I think I can believe you do. Going forward I will make a greater effort to heed your advice.”   
  
He smiled pleasantly at that. It was in that moment that Amira understood why Cassian liked Nathaniel. The way he smiled, the confidence with which he carried himself, it was very much like Morrigan. It probably didn’t hurt that they were both tall, dark and brooding humans. 

“If you would like my advice now… I would suggest that we contact the Warden’s for a specialist on dwarven mining, perhaps one from Orzammar? Voldrik couldn’t figure it out, but that doesn't mean it is impossible.”   
  
Amira smiled and nodded. “Very good. Send word immediately.”   
  
“Of course, and Commander? You should know that there have been several requests that you return to the capital to meet with the king and queen of Ferelden.” At that Amira’s face darkened. “For now I can stave off these requests and act as a liaison. But eventually you will need to make an appearance.”   
  
Amira nodded solemnly. “For now let’s focus on the Keep. We’ll deal with all of that later. Thank you, Nathaniel.”   
  
Nathaniel nodded. “Of course. Commander, if I may?” He asked tentatively. Amira nodded for him to continue. “I was not sure when would be appropriate for me to give this to you. Before Cassian left, he wrote a letter asking that you have this.”

From Nathaniel’s back pocket he pulled out a small book. Amira took the it from him tentatively.

“He said that it was for your eyes only, that it was to help you run the Keep. Not even I have read its contents.”

Amira snorted. “I doubt I will be needing this.”

Nathaniel smiled and nodded. “Of course, you are already doing a fine job as Commander, but if I may speak freely… Cassian understood people, he was groomed to play the Orlesian Game, and he did apply that skill to his leadership. He was even, in an incredibly asinine way, able to get some laws on the Ferelden economy passed that have been rather beneficial to the country. Whatever he has in that book. It might be helpful. And if not you can always ignore it.”

Amira was quiet for a moment. Contemplating what he said. “That you for the advice, Nathaniel. I will take that under consideration.

Nathaniel nodded and bowed. With that he left. 


	17. The Talk

Morrigan watched Cassian sleep. Once they'd crossed through the Eluvian into the Crossroads he had passed out almost immediately. She’d done her best to drag him to a more comfortable place to sleep, but he’d gotten heavier over the last year. Ultimately she just gave up and removed his armor to check his injuries. The wound on Cassian’s abdomen was more superficial than anything else. He’d most likely passed out due to fatigue more than blood loss. He’d clearly been pushing himself to hard. 

It was his arm that had her concerned. It had been severely injured by something. Most likely arrows by the looks of it. The injury had been healed in a rush and his arm hadn’t been set right. She started mixing some salves to put on the muscles. Hopefully they would re-loosen and then they could work on resetting his arm properly. With any luck Cassian would be able to gain most of the mobility of his arm back. Though she doubted he’d be able to wield two swords like he could before. 

As she watched him sleep a sinking feeling started in her gut. She knew that eventually they would need to have a conversation that she would really rather avoid. For now she would content herself with to just being with Cassian again. Morrigan supposed she should cherish their time together, for it could not possibly last. Not when he found out.

***

It had been about three weeks since Cassian and Morrigan had been reunited. Currently they where in the Frostback Basin exploring some of the Aavar ruins. Morrigan wanted to see how other cultures handled spirits and magic. The trip itself though, that was a trial. 

The problem was that Cassian blended in perfectly with the foliage of the Basin. His blue skin combined with the muted colours and eerie lighting of the Basin allowed him to practically disappear into his environment. A trick that he had taken advantage of the moment they had realized what was happening. Morrigan would turn around and Cassian would just be gone. 

Cassian was now constantly popping out of nowhere trying to scare her. So far he had failed spectacularly. He may be hard to see but he was still loud in his movements, h'de crash about the forest undergrowth just as he had when Morrigan had first met him during the Blight. Unfortunately for her, he was getting better, he clearly had a skill for climbing trees, but due to his bad arm that avenue was partially stunted at the moment. Still Morrigan feared it was only a matter of him before he successfully scared her, she was not looking forward to it.

A rustling of branches sounded to her right and suddenly Cassian popped out of the undergrowth shouting “BOO!” the only thing he succeeded in scaring where some of the birds who shrieked loudly and flew off. Morrigan fixed him with a stern look, one eyebrow raised. “Nothing? Darn, I was close this time. I wonder if I can replicate the birds calls...” Cassian said playfully grinning at her. 

Morrigan rolled her eyes at his antics, pretending to be annoyed. “You are to loud. You shan't scare anyone if you continue to crash about like a blind man.” Cassian just grinned at her and clambered out of the foliage he was in. 

Morrigan eyed him appreciatively. When she had first dragged him out of the Eluvian she had thought the reason why he was heavier was because he had gotten soft. She had been very wrong. Cassian had grown taller. When she had first met him he was probably about 5’3’’, and she had towered over him. Since she had last seen him he had grown at least a half foot and was now eye level with her. Morrigan suspected he may grow to be slightly taller than her. She remembered that Cassian’s father had been quite tall for an elf when she had met him during the Blight. Cassian’s build had also started to reflect Cyrion’s as well. His shoulders had broadened and torso had thickened. He was no longer a waif of a thing: thin, and wily, rushing about. Now he had the features and and skin tone of an elf but a build that was much more reflective of a human's. Morrigan was unsure of how Cassian felt about these changes, but she had to admit that she found them rather… pleasing.

She chuckled quietly as Cassian tripped over his own feet, clearly still not used to his new body. “Does it bother you?” Morrigan asked curiously. Cassian looked over at her confused. “Your body, you are… bigger than you were last I saw you.”

Cassian glanced down at himself as if to check that he had in fact changed. “It’s annoying, I keep walking into things, and tripping. I’m constantly covered in bruises. That being said I do like that I’m taller. Being able to look you directly in the eye instead of having to crane to look up is nice.” He said smiling at her. “Plus it makes it easier to do this.” At that he leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

Morrigan recoiled as if she had been smacked. Cassian immediately took several steps back putting more space between them. With his arms half raised he spoke quickly. “I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed that was ok to do. You’ve been distant from me and I haven’t tried to push, I just got caught up in the moment and I forgot. I’m so sorry it won’t happen again.” Cassian said almost babbling. 

“Cassian stop,” Morrigan said sighing, she supposed now was as good a time as any to have this conversation. “There is something we should discuss, before any relations happen between us.”

Cassian looked at her confused. Morrigan indicated to a nearby tree branch for them to sit on. They were at a pretty high elevation but even up here the trees from the jungle below were large. A branch was big enough that if they so desired they could make camp on it. Morrigan sat and Cassian followed suit, making sure to give her plenty of space so that she wouldn’t feel crowded. Morrigan appreciated his consideration.

Morrigan paused, this was a moment she had been dreading, and now that they were going to have this conversation she felt overwhelmed, unsure even how to begin. Cassian seemed to sense this, he turned slightly in his seat to look at her. 

“I didn't kill your mother.” He blurted out his eyes wide.

“What?! Why would you tell me this?” She growled smacking his arm, hard.

Cassian grunted and rubbed it looking apologetic. “Well I was, going to kill her, but then made an me an offer and I was decided _ fuck that, _  there is no way I am going to kill  _ the _ Witch of the Wilds myself. So we made a deal. You got the grimoire and she got to not fight me.” Morrigan was glaring at him, seething slightly. “Anyway, I didn’t tell you because I figured you would be upset-” Morrigan snorted at this. “The only reason I’m telling you now is because whatever you have to tell me can’t possibly be worse than that.” He finished looking at her with wide eyes.

Morrigan smiled slightly at that, some of her anger abating. She appreciated the gesture, it was a horrible plan, but nonetheless it was thoughtful. She looked away from him, now staring at the forest floor hundreds of feet below. A part of her wanted to turn into a raven and fly away, to disappear into the foliage below. “I can’t get pregnant.” She finally said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Oh… I wasn’t aware that we were still trying to do that.” Morrigan chuckled grimly at Cassian’s joke. 

“During the Battle against the Archdemon, when I was stabbed…” Out of the corner of her eye she saw Cassian wince at the memory, fiddling slightly with the ring she had given him. “The blade killed the unborn child, and while Amira was able to save me, she is not a true healer. The damage was too great. I can no longer bear a child.” Morrigan sat waiting for Cassian to speak. Knowing that there were only two possible outcomes, both scary in their own right. The first was that Cassian left her because she can’t give him children, preventing him from continuing his legacy. The thought of him leaving her was heartbreaking, but she would understand. The other option was that he stayed, proving that he truly loved her, that he was not with her to gain anything, for there would be no benefit. And that was a most terrifying idea, it went against everything she had been raised to belive. 

“I’m sorry.” Cassian said quietly. “If I had asked you to stay away from the battle this wouldn’t have happened” Morrigan turned to look at Cassian surprised at his statement. He was staring down at the foliage below them. A few tears had escaped and were rolling down his face. He tried to wipe them away subtly. Tentatively, Morrigan reached over and grasped his hand. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for my love, there was no way that we could have known that would happen. And there was no way you could have convinced me to stay away.” She smiled slightly. Cassian returned her smile and squeezed her hand nodding. Morrigan took a deep breath and finally asked the question she was so afraid to ask. “What will you do now?”   
  
Cassian looked at her confused for a moment, a frown on his face. “I don’t know what you mean?”

“Oh come on Cassian. This has to change things for you. I was a bad match as a mate before, but now there’s no point.” Cassian continued to watch her, his face still puzzled at what she was getting at. “Before I was an unideal match as a mate, I have no name of prestige, I grew up apart from the rest of the world, and I am an apostate. Any child we had would have been a halfling, ostracised and apart from the world. But at least they would have been ours. Now I can no longer even give you that.” Morrigan looked at Cassian expectantly waiting for him to do or say something. 

“Ah yes, this all makes sense now, because the first thing I thought when I saw you was ‘her loins seem fertile.'” Cassian deadpanned.

Morrigan barked a laugh at that.

“Please.” She said chuckling despite the tense topic. “ _ Never _ say loins again.”

Cassian smiled gently at her. "I don’t care that you cannot have children. I was never interested in having kids to begin with. The only reason I agreed to the ritual is because I would do anything for you. And that the idea of a child with you wasn’t the worst sounding. But I am with you because I love you. I love you more than the perceived idea of our statuses in life and I love you more then the idea of children. If you do want children then maybe one day we could adopt, or steal a child, I'm not picky. But for now I am more then happy to just be with you.” Cassian finished looking at her eagerly.

Morrigan could only stare, her worst fear realized, he loved her more then anything. A sentiment that she returned, but one that was scary nonetheless. She leaned over and kissed him on the mouth. The first time she had since he had found her. Morrigan pulled away smiling, happy. 


	18. An Unconventional Friendship

Since her arrival in Amaranthine, Amira had been dodging invitation upon invitation to return to Denerim. Usually she’d been able to deftly avoid the various engagement by fostering it off on Nathaniel and sending her apologies, but she was simply too busy with such and such task related to her recent takeover of Vigil's Keep. She had to (grudgingly) grant Cassian one thing: he knew politics. Having Nathaniel on hand as an established ambassador to the court was indispensable. He knew what he was doing. Amira kept having to remind herself of that, considering that Nathaniel had insisted she actually had to come to court this time. Apparently after a year of running Vigil’s Keep her excuses were starting to sound hollow, and it would be in poor taste to skip out on royal festivities meant to celebrate the end of the Fifth Blight.

Seeing Alistair again was just as painful as she thought it would be. So far her only saving grace had been that she hadn’t had to be alone with him. And if she had any say in it she’d be keeping it that way.

That being said, he had been persistent. Alistair was constantly at the edge of her vision, trying to catch her eye or wait until she was alone for even half a second. Amira had been lucky so far, she was a hero of the Fifth Blight. Naturally she was incredibly popular tonight. All of the Ferelden court was trying to talk to her. Nathaniel had hardly left her side, he was constantly fielding requests or introductions to the nobility, Amira had to admit, he was doing an excellent job of making her look good to the rest of the court.

After a few hours Nathaniel was finally pulled away by a noblewoman, apparently she fancied the Warden. Amira watched pleasantly as the two danced to so soft playing music. Suddenly a frown spread across her face, she felt a tingling at the back of her head, as if someone was dragging a feather slowly across it.

A Warden was approaching. And since Nathaniel was preoccupied, that meant that it was Alistair. Rather than wait for the inevitable awkward and painful conversation that would ensue, she started walking briskly across the ball floor, trying to get as far away from him as she could. She rounded the corner, about to make a break for the back exit and hide in the gardens, when she nearly ran into a finely dressed woman.

“I am so sor...” Amira trailed off as she realized she was staring at the Queen. Her eyes widen and she looked around desperately for an alternate escape root.

“There you are, follow me.”

Amira looked at Anora surprised. “Um… what?”

"You are trying to avoid Alistair are you not?" Anora asked her. "I thought I might offer my assistance.”

Amira stared at Anora long enough that Amira got the impression she was resisting the urge to shift awkwardly. It was only a feeling, however, as she was sure Anora wouldn’t allow herself to do something as unroyal as appear visibly uncomfortable. “Alright,” she agreed. Flames, what did she have to lose? “What did you have in mind?”

There was a room just off the kitchens that Amira was surprised Anora knew existed, never mind that she was sure it would be empty. It was, and Amira couldn't help watching a bit curiously as Anora poured out two goblets of a pink wine they'd acquired on the way there.

"Warden." Amira took the offered goblet with a shallow nod, sipping at the contents as she gave a side eyed examination of the room. Without thinking about it she found herself analyzing its defensive capabilities, cataloguing exits. Amira took a longer gulp of wine when she realized what she was doing. It was light and fruity, and Amira found she enjoyed it more than whatever they'd been serving in the main hall.

“So do you want to tell me why you are avoiding my husband?” Anora asked so casually that she might have been discussing the Ferelden economy. Amira choked slightly on her drink.

“Nope, I need to be much drunker to have that conversation.”

***

Amira stared at the her goblet of fruity pink wine in amusement, feeling light and floaty. She wasn't sure if it was stronger than it tasted, or if her alcohol tolerance was simply that abysmal these days. The flush of Anora's cheeks tempted her to think the former. She and Anora were now sitting on the floor of the secrete room, chipping away slowly at the wine and having intermittent conversation. 

"Alright, I need to know." Anora said, in the tone of a woman who'd been fighting her better judgement and simply decided to give in. Amira leaned forward curiously. "Just how is Alistair in bed?"

Amira leaned back again in surprise. "You don't know?"

Anora snorted. "Maker no. We were both quite happy to agree on a chaste marriage. He's still in love with you, and sleeping with my late husband's brother would be strange even if I wasn't still in mourning."

"Oh." Amira breathed, not quite able to keep the happiness from her tone. It was a strange sort of relief to hear that Alistair hadn't jumped right into another’s bed after their break up. That whatever his choices or his reasons, that she'd still mattered to him enough that he couldn't just be with someone else yet. Was that selfish of her? Maybe it was, but it didn't change that it was how she felt.

"Why aren't you with him?" Anora asked suddenly, and Amira was starting to understand why Anora didn't drink much. "I mean you clearly still love him, and he's been staring at you like a scolded Mabari anytime you've been in sight of him."

"He married you."

"Well, yes, but it's not like I _want_ him." Anora wrinkled her nose distastefully. "What he does is no concern of mine, as long as you both at least _tried_ to be discrete."

"But I care." Amira sighed, swirling the wine around her goblet and watching the patterns the liquid took. "Maybe it would be better if I didn't, but I do. It's not like he didn't know." Amira added bitterly. "I told him how I felt, that I couldn't be with him if he was married to someone else. I couldn't live my life in the shadows, having to pretend every day. Watching as for all the world was concerned he belonged to someone else.” Amira took another sip of wine before finishing quietly “He picked this, and so we aren't together."

The silence was heavy as they both drank their wine, and it hit Amira suddenly what Anora must think. "I don't blame you, you know." Amira told her with the frank sort of honestly drinking a little too much allowed one the luxury of. "I know Cassian was the architect behind all this" she gestured vaguely at Anora's left hand. "I still have no fucking clue why Alistair agreed," Amira continued with a sad frown into her half full goblet "but you… You were just trying to keep some hold on your life in a shit situation you got forced into. I can't blame you for taking the only out offered. The choices you made had nothing to do with me, or even Alistair, really."

Anora was silent for a long moment, just staring at Amira like she'd never seen her before. "You are far more gracious than most would be in your shoes, Warden." Anora finally said softly.

Amira shrugged, downing the rest of her wine. "I think we passed titles about half a bottle ago. Just call me Amira."

"Amira, then." Anora took a sip of her own wine before tentatively offering "In private, I would not be opposed to you calling me Anora."

"Anora, then." Amira returned with a small smile, before breaking out into giggles at the absurdity of the situation. Here she was, avoiding the love of her life by getting shitfaced with his wife. Soon Anora was joining her, and before long they were both breathless from laughter, leaning on each other for support.

***

Nathaniel didn’t want to say he was worried. In the time he had worked under Commander Surana he had found her to be the steady sort, far more predictable than Cassian had been in her position. He’d never admit it but there were times when he rather missed the other’s elf's antics. You never knew what the mad bastard was up to, but life was never boring.

The Warden Commander was not the type prone to plots and schemes, regardless of her colorful history with his majesty. However, Commander Surana and Queen Anora had been noticeably absent from the festivities for some time, and it was starting to cause him… concern.

Eventually his searches lead him to a small room on one of the lower levels of the castle. Given Commander Surana’s history with the monarchy he’d been prepared to walk in on a wide variety of situations. Somehow though finding Surana and the Queen of Ferelden sitting on the floor giggling like intimate friends, and drunk as the day was long was not one he had considered.


	19. Moving Forward

“I want to go to Tevinter.” Morrigan announced.

Cassian looked up from the fire he had been starting. They had been staying the in the Frostback Basin for months now. Spending time with the Avvar and had been exploring old ruins in the area. At this point they knew the the jungle and mountain areas quite well. Cassian had even managed to get better at navigating the forest floor without crashing about like an intoxicated durfflo.

“Right now?” Cassian asked glancing at the small fire that had finally sparked. He had just been about to make dinner…

“Yes- well no. I want to leave as soon possible, obviously not right now, you’re about to start supper.”

Cassian smiled slightly at that. She was nervous, perhaps afraid that he wouldn’t want to go? He mused to himself. “Ok, I do have a few questions, why do you want to go to Tevinter? And how long will we be gone?” 

“The Imperium treats magic and mages in a totally different way then how Ferelden and Orlais does. This could grant us better access to magics of old. Things that could protect me from my mother when she comes.” 

Oh, right. That made sense. Morrigan had been pretty upset when he had revealed the truth about her mother to her. Although she had told him later she suspected that even if Flemeth had been killed, she would return in some form eventually. “How long will we be gone for? I was hoping that we could go to Orlais and visit the Dales. I’ve heard they have amazing ruins, you would probably like them.”   
  
Morrigan smiled at his thoughtfulness and sat beside Cassian taking his hand in hers. “I… was thinking we may never return… Or at least not for a long time. I need to be more powerful to fight Flemeth. If Tevinter doesn't hold the answers I seek then we can move on. But I want to exhaust every option. That could require us going beyond the known.”   
  
Cassian nodded in understanding. “You know I will follow you anywhere.” He said squeezing her hand. “I do have one request before we leave.”   
  
“Of course, what is it?” Morrigan asked curiously.

“I want to return to Denerim to visit my father.” 

Morrigan looked surprised at this. Of all of the things she had thought he would ask this was not one of them. “You want to visit your father?” She asked incomprehensibly.

“Yes, he’s starting to get old and if we’re gone for as long as you think we will be he may pass away during that time. I haven’t gotten to see him since before the Blight ended.”   
  
Morrigan frowned at this. “You didn’t visit him after the battle?”   
  
Cassian looked away slightly embarrassed. “No, I didn’t want to leave you while you were unconscious and then after that… kerfuffle with the Templars, Alistair banned me from the city. I’m sure we can sneak in no problem though. And I would like to see my cousins again.” Cassian added eagerly. 

Morrigan felt a slight pang of guilt, she had no love for her own mother, but she could tell that Cassian not being able to see his was hard for him. The Alienage is founded on community she reminded herself.

“Very well.” She agreed. “That sounds like a fine idea. We can take a ship in Denerim to a port in Antiva and walk the rest of the way to Tevinter.” Cassian smiled happily and kissed her on the cheek.

“Wonderful, tomorrow we shall head to Denerim. Now let's get some food started. I am quite hungry. Being a growing elf and all.” Cassian said wiggling his eyebrows.


	20. A Warden's Life for Me

The sounds of shouting drew Amira to the courtyard of Vigil’s Keep. Men were rushing about, loading and unloading things from wagons as they arrived. Amira caught Nathaniel directing men as they moved about. Upon seeing her approach, Nathaniel waved her over.

“Commander, these are the forward wagons from Sigrun’s expedition into the Deep Roads. She apparently stumbled across a cache of treasure while down there.”   
  
“That’s good for us, we’ll need to inventory the supplies and send about a third of it onto Weisshaupt. Where is Sigrun?”   
  
Before Nathaniel could give her an answer Sigrun rode up. She was perched atop a horse that was pulling a small wagon behind it. 

“Sigrun, it’s good to see you.” Amira spoke as Sigrun dismounted.

“It’s good to see you to Commander. The trip turned out quite well for us.” Amira smiled at Sigrun’s optimism. “I have also brought you two new recruits.”   
  
As Sigrun spoke, a young swallow looking woman climbed out of the wagon Sigrun’s horse had been pulling. “This is Bethany Hawke, she was also on an expedition in the Deep Roads. She has the taint, luckily she had an Ex-Grey Warden with her. He was able to get her to us in time. She’s going to need to go through the Joining ritual as soon as possible. The other recruit we picked up on the way here. Said he was coming to join the Grey Warden’s, and that he knew you personally.”

Another figure exited the wagon after Bethany. Amira gasped in surprise as Ailbe enveloped her in a big hug. 

“Amira! It’s so good to see you again! I did as you said and I waited and kept practicin my swordsmanship and I’m ready to join.” He said grinning widely. 

Amira was impressed. Ailbe had grown quite a bit,  he was much taller than her now. His voice had deepened and he’d bulked out as well. He looked less like the scrawny boy she’d met so long ago and more like a man. It was rather disconcerting. 

“I would ‘ave been here sooner, I was planning to buy a horse with the money you gave me, but Maribella was accepted into a school in Orlais and I helped pitch in for the cost of tuition. Luckily I ran into Sigrun and Bethany on the way here and was able to get arrive faster.” He smiled at Bethany as he said this, even though she looked like death it was clear that Ailbe fancied her. 

“I will prepare for the ritual, we should be ready in the next hour.” Nathaniel said. 

Amira nodded. “Sigrun why don’t you  show Bethany to her new quarters. Then you can go and take a break yourself. Ailbe, how would you like a tour of your new home?” Amira said smiling. She would have asked Bethany to come as well, but the poor girl looked to be in no condition to be wandering around the Keep. 

Ailbe, clearly trying to contain his enthusiasm nodded wildly. 

“Alright then. Let’s get started.” Amira said smiling and leading him away from the wagons.

***

It was about forty five minutes later that found Amira, Ailbe, Bethany and Nathaniel standing in Amira’s quarters. They had decided to go for a more intimate setting for the Joining ritual, not wanting to have a ton of the other Warden’s standing about. 

“Bethany, you will drink first.” Amira spoke, the girl looked ready to drop at any minute. She needed to get this over with as soon as possible.

Tentatively Bethany took the chalice from Amira. As she drank, Amira recited the Warden’s oath just as Duncan had done for her so long ago. 

Bethany coughed horribly and doubled over, her eyes turning white. Ailbe recoiled slightly at the sight, surprised at the physical change. Bethany slumped over and fell to the ground with a dull thud. Nathaniel walked over and checked her pulse. 

“Bethany is fine, she should wake in a bit.” Nathaniel said. He picked up the goblet and refilled it. He held it out to Ailbe. “It is your turn, recruit.”

Amira bit her tongue as Ailbe took the drink in his hands. This was not a life she would wish on anyone this young. Bethany she understood, this had saved her life. But Ailbe, he could do other things. Amira looked at him and realized he was watching her expectantly.

“Are you going to say the oath for me to?” he asked eagerly.

Amira smiled tightly and nodded. “In War, Victory. In Peace, Vigilance. In Victory, Sacrifice.”

Ailbe smiled at her and then took a large gulp from the Joining chalice. Just like Bethany he doubled over and slumped to the ground. Nathaniel walked over and checked his pulse.

“... Dead.” He said sadly to Amira. “I am sorry Commander.”

Amira felt like an icy claw was scratching at the inside of her stomach. She blinked rapidly a few times. Trying to hold back tears. “Have Bethany moved to her quarters. She will need rest to recover from the corruption… Put Ailbe in the mausoleum with the other Warden’s.”

Nathaniel stared at her unsurely, then spoke, choosing his words carefully. “Ser… The… Previous Commander declared that the mausoleum was to be used only for Warden’s who fell in battle…”

The temperature in the room dropped about ten degrees at the mention of Cassian Tabris. Ice covered Amira’s clenched fists in a fine layer. “Consider that order rescinded.” Amira commanded sharply. “He will rest with the other Warden’s. We do not abandon our brothers.” Amira bit out. “If you will excuse me, I must write to his family.”

“Of course Commander.” Nathaniel opened the door and a guard entered the room. Nathaniel picked up Ailbe while the other guard grabbed Bethany. They exited the room quickly. 

Once the door was shut Amira sat down in a chair and let out a shaky breath, her hands trembling. She hated when she was right. The Warden’s life had not been for Ailbe after all. 


	21. Denerim

Getting into Denerim had been surprisingly easy, Morrigan had flown into the city as a raven while Cassian had entered normally through the front gate. The guards paid no attention to a lone elf except to remind him of where the Alienage could be found.

Once Cassian was in, he met up with Morrigan at the docks. Together they bought passage on a ship that would depart for Antiva in three days time. 

***

“I do not see why I have to meet them.” Morrigan muttered as she and Cassian walked down the street towards the Alienage. “I would be more then happy to be a raven and spend my time in a tree for the next few days. You can visit your family, and I won’t be in the way.”    
  
Cassian looked at her a slightly surprised expression on his face. “Are you… nervous to meet my family?” He asked slightly amused.

“No!” Morrigan answered far too quickly. Then she sighed. “The last time I was with them I suggested that we kill your father. Tis not exactly a great first impression.” 

“Pffft, in Orlais murder is practically a compliment.” 

“Yes, but we are not in Orlais, and from what you’ve said about your father, he seems to have quite happily ‘gone native’.” Morrigan said frustration in her voice.   
  
Cassian grimaced slightly at this. “Don’t remind me, its so embarrassing. Besides, if my father doesn't like you because you tried to convince us to kill him, that’s his problem. You’ve changed a lot since then, you aren’t that same person anymore. Whether or not he sees that is on him.” At Cassian's words Morrigan looked down, trying to hide her smile.

They finally arrived at the gates of the Alienage, Cassian noted that there were no guards posted outside of the entrance. That was a strange change, even before the ‘plague’ that had struck the Alienage during the Blight, guards had always been posted outside of the gates. The official reason was to prevent people who may want to hurt or harass the elves from entering the premises. The  _ real _ reason was to deter or prevent elves from leaving the Alienage. Of course they could, they weren't prisoners or anything of the like, but people were usually less inclined to leave the Alienage unless it was for work. 

“Holy fuck.” Cassian breathed out as they entered the Alienage, it had completely changed in year and a bit since they had been there. Everything was new. Or newer at least. The homes and buildings that used to be rotting away or looked like they could collapse at any time, were totally different. Many of the them had been reinforced or completely rebuilt. The dirt roads now had new cobblestone streets. The dead plants had been replaced with vegetables and fruits. The Alienage looked alive. 

“Tis different.” Morrigan observed. 

Cassian walked past her spinning around slowly, trying to take in as much as he could. “I never imaged that this place could look like this. I’ve spent half my life here and I don’t even recognize it. I hope we’ll be able to find my home.” Cassian said frowning. “It looks like more houses have been built here.” 

“You’re home is that way.” Morrigan said pointing left. 

“How can you tell?” Cassian asked curiously.

“Tis not that difficult. I grew up in the Kocari Wilds, this area is quite small compared to it. And much less confusing. Trees in the swamp would literally move if Flemeth so willed it. The Alienage may have more buildings in it, but nothing has truly moved.” Morrigan explained.

“Great.” Cassian said grinning. “I'm so happy that one of us is a decent tracker. Come on let's go.” He said grabbing her hand and setting off in the direction of his old home.

It took them a while to get there, Morrigan knew the direction they needed to go in, but with all of the new buildings and twisting side streets that had been added, it slowed their progress immensely. Finally after about thirty minutes they arrived outside of the what was probably Cassian’s old home. 

“It’s taller.” Cassian observed. Morrigan nodded in agreement. What was once a single floor hovel was now a three story house. Cassian had lived in one of the nicest homes in the Alienage and this seemed to hold true even after the facelift the Alienage had received. It put all the other homes in the area to shame, in both size and colour, being more vibrantly painted than the rest of them. 

“Shall we?” Morrigan asked trying to put some bravado in her voice. Cassian saw through it, he kissed her on the cheek and nodded. Together they walked to the front door of the house. Cassian knocked loudly.

A moment later Nola opened the door her eyes widening at the sight of them. “What are you doing here?” She asked suspiciously.

“Well hello to you to.” Cassian deadpanned. “We’re here to see Father. Is he home?” Cassian asked frowning slightly.

“...He’s home.” Nola answered after a moment.

“Well, can we see him or are the three of us just going to stand outside with our thumbs up our butts all night?” Morrigan snorted at Cassian’s question. 

Nola sighed and moved aside. “Too smart for your own good.” She muttered leading them inside.

The interior of the house had changed as well. The walls had been repainted, the furniture had been replaced with newer pieces, and the floor was actual floor instead of dirt. Nola lead them to the living room and sat Morrigan and Cassian on the couch. Without a word she turned and left the room. Probably to find Cyrion or get some food from the kitchen, a nervous habit of hers, Cassian mused.

A few moments later Cyrion and Soris entered the room. Both of them dressed in nicer clothes that Cassian had ever seen them. “Son! It's so wonderful to see you! Soris fetch Shianni she’ll be thrilled to see her favorite cousin.” Cyrion exclaimed wrapping Cassian in a tight embrace. After a moment they pulled away. 

Seeing them together Morrigan was struck by how similar Cassian looked to his father. She knew that Cassian had inherited his mother's features and skin tone, but next to his father one could tell they were related. Their build was almost identical, although Cassian was still slightly shorter. They also moved with a similar grace, although Cassian less so, but it was clear they they both had an acute awareness of their size as the tallest residents of the house. 

“Dad, this is Morrigan. We’re… together.” Cassian finished lamely not quite sure what Morrigan would prefer to be called. 

She rose and nodded to Cyrion. “Tis a pleasure.” Morrigan said evenly. 

Cyrion’s expression tightened slightly upon seeing Morrigan, but he nodded politely. Before he could say anything Soris and Shianni came bounding into the room. They both wrapped Cassian into a big hug jumping up and down excited to finally see their cousin after so long. 

“Cousin, you’ve grown so tall.” Shianni exclaimed. “And who is this?” She said eyeing Morrigan with interest. 

“Morrigan.” Was all Morrigan answered.

“Well... ok.” Shainni said slightly confused by Morrigan’s caginess. “Cassian, what are you doing back in the city? The King banned you. We were told that if you ever returned we would have to report you immediately or face imprisonment.” 

“Ah, that would explain Nola’s warm welcome.” Cassian said.

“Don’t mind her, you know how she frets.” Cyrion said. “None of us will alert anyone of your presence here. How long are you intending to stay son?”   
  
“Just two nights. We have a boat to catch. I wanted to visit before I left.”   
  
Cyrion smiled at that and clapped his some on the shoulder. “I appreciate that my boy. For now it’s quite late. We should go to bed. In the morning we can catch up. Cassian you can sleep in your old room, Shainni and Soris you bunk with your cousin. Morrigan you can have the upstairs all to yourself.”

Both Morrigan and Cassian shared a look at that. Morrigan was about to agree but Cassian spoke first. “That’s ok Father, Morrigan can stay with me, and Shianni and Soris can have their own beds.”   
  
Cyrion looked between the two of them for a moment. Finally he leaned in close to his son. “Cassian are you sure this is what you want?” He asked softly, hoping Morrigan couldn’t hear. 

“Yes, that’s why I suggested it. If you don’t mind we are rather tired. Come on Morrigan, I am mostly sure I can figure out where my room is.” Cassian said leading her down the hall. Luckily he was able to find his old room with little problem. “Wow! I have a door! This is great!” Cassian said opening and shutting it excitedly. 

Morrigan sat down on his bed sighing. “Your family dislikes me.” She said annoyed. 

“Shoes off on the bed my love.” Morrigan huffed and began to remove them. Cassian sat beside her. “My Dad does seem tense, but I’m sure everyone will warm up to you. And if not that's their problem. It’s only one more night after this and then we can leave.”   
  
Morrigan smiled tightly at him and nodded. “Very well. Goodnight Cassian.” She said leaning over and kissing his cheek. 

Cassian got up and extinguished the torch in the room. “Goodnight Morrigan.”   


***

The next day found Morrigan, Cassian and Soris wandering around the Denerim market. Shianni had been made Bann of the Alienage and was caught up in some meetings.

“I’m surprised that Shianni couldn’t take the day off” Cassian observed as they wove in between the stalls. “I doubt an elf would be taken seriously in the Court, even one that has been named Bann.”

“She wasn’t at first.” Soris said. “Most people thought her position was more of a prop than anything else. But Shianni wanted to make a change, a real one. She asked that the King and Queen divert some resources to help make the Alienage a more livable place after it was destroyed during the Blight.”   
  
“Tis a surprise they would agree to that.” Morrigan said from behind them. Cassian smiled affectionately at her and reached back to hold her hand, tugging her forward slightly so that she was walking beside him.

“Oh, well they didn’t. Shianni said they wanted to but, it was to controversial, humans first and all that... they were worried about diverting to many resources and labor when the rest of the city was in such a bad state.”

“That sounds more like something they would do.” Cassian muttered. 

“What happened then? Clearly the Alienage has been fixed.” Morrigan asked.

“We went on strike. All of us. Shianni convinced every single elf in the Alienage to go on strike. She said that if the monarchy couldn’t afford to help us then we couldn’t afford to help them. After that we decided to take matters into our own hands. During the six months we were on strike the King and Queen allowed us to cut lumber from the woods outside the city and fix the Alienage ourselves. We rebuilt it from the ground up!”   
  
“That’s… incredible” Cassian said quietly.

“It is” Soris agreed happily. “After we were done, or mostly done we went back to work. During that time Shianni had been able to negotiate better compensation for a lot of the elves here. The nobility takes us, and Shianni, much more seriously now. Things are better.” 

An easy silence fell over the three of them. They continued to wander the market, vendors shouting their wares as they walked by. Cassian's attention was eventually caught a dwarf, he wandered over in hopes of finding some rune making supplies, leaving Soris and Morrigan alone.

Morrigan for her part pretended to be interested in some of the wares a vender was selling as Soris shifted awkwardly beside her clearly uncomfortable to be alone with her. 

“Sooo you and Cass-”   
  
“Stop right here.” Morrigan said without looking up from the crystal ball she was examining. “I have no desire to engage in a stilted conversation with you, about my relationship with your cousin.” 

“Would you rather we talk about how you tried to kill my Uncle?”

Morrigan turned to look at Soris at that, surprised by his boldness. Judging by the way all the colour drained from his face Morrigan suspected that he had not meant to say that out loud. The poor man looked ready to piss himself.

“I- I- I’m sorry.” Soris stuttered out. 

Suddenly he was shoved to the ground, a large man stood over him and started kicking him. Morrigan jumped forward and shoved the brute out of the way. Putting herself in between Soris and his attacker.

“Back off.” She snarled at the man.

He was a hulk of a man towering over her at well over six feet tall. He blinked slowly as if his brain was still trying to catch up with what was going on.

“I was tryn to protect you from the thief m’lady.” He finally said in a slow dull voice.

“I am in no need of protecting and this  _ man  _ is my friend.” Morrigan said as she help Soris stand. His lip was bleeding and it looked like his nose might be broken. 

“Friend?...” the man repeated slowly, clearly the idea of Morrigan befriending an elf was well beyond anything this man could comprehend. 

“This man is the brother of Bann Shianni, you would do well to apologize to him or face the consequences with the Queen and King of Ferelden.”

Beside her Soris whispered quietly “It’s ok, we don’t need to make him apologize, lets just go before he makes anymore trouble.”

“I’m sorry.” The man continued to stare that them duly, most likely he thought Morrigan some sort of countess and that Soris was her servant. Nonetheless it was clear he didn’t want to start something.

Soris’ eyes widened and he stared at the man slightly uncomprehendingly. The last thing he had expected was an apology.

“Oh, um, apology accepted. See to it that is doesn't happen again.” Soris said, standing up straighter and trying to speak with some authority. Beside him Morrigan smirked. The large man just scowled and shuffled away disappearing into the crowd.

Cassian rejoined them, holding a bag with his new purchase. 

“Ah, did you have any luck?” Morrigan said looking at Cassian. He grinned and nodded eagerly. Good, I believe that I have had enough excitement for one day, shall we return to the Alienage?”

“Sure.” Cassian agreed, he looked at Soris frowning slightly. “What happened to your face?”

“Oh, it was nothing.” Soris respond quickly. The three of them set off towards the Alienage, Morrigan a few steps behind them. Despite that she heard Soris speak quietly to Cassian. “Ok, I get it now, I like her too.” 

Morrigan tried her best to hide her pleased smile. 

***

“What in Andraste’s name happened to you?!” Nola exclaimed upon seeing Soris’ face. The three of them had barely walked in the door before they had been accosted by her. 

“Some guy hit me, I think he thought I was threatening Morrigan.” Soris explained quietly as Nola grabbed his face and turned it every which way. Beside him Cassian snorted, amused at the idea that Soris could pose any threat to Morrigan.  

Nola sighed. “I’ll fetch you an ice pack. As for you two.” She said glaring at Cassian and Morrigan. “Perhaps you should consider cutting your visit short. You’ll bring nothing but trouble to this family.”   
  
Cassian and Soris exchanged a look, surprised by Nola’s boldness. She usually kept any negative feelings regarding Cassian to herself, resorting mostly to quiet snipes, never anything so blatant.

“ _Our_.” Cassian corrected, Nola narrowed her eyes at his comment. “Last I checked I still bore the name Tabris.

“Cyrion told me about what that woman tried to get you to do.” Nola growled glaring at Morrigan who had taken it upon herself to make Soris a makeshift icepack which she had then shoved rather ungracefully into his face. 

Cassian’s expression darkened, he walked forward moving into Nola’s personal space and towering over her. Nola shrank back slightly at the intrusion. Cassian spoke quietly “Morrigan will bring no harm to us. What happened with Soris today, what happened with father during the Blight, was a misunderstanding. We will leave in the morning and you can have your precious family back then.”

Nola and Cassian stared at each other for a long minute, finally she nodded and left the room, presumably to get more ice. 

“Well, I think that went rather well… considering.” Soris said from where he was seated on the couch beside Morrigan who chuckled at his comment, Cassian smiled tightly and nodded.

***

Not long after his spat with Nola, Shianni had returned home, excited to catch up and tell them all about her life in the Denerim Court. Cyrion walked in a few hours later. He joined them for some idle small talk and then went to help Nola prepare dinner.

Dinner had been a surreal mix of totally being totally fine and completely awkward. Now that Soris was confident that Morrigan wasn’t going to kill him, they were getting along swimmingly. Too well, if Cassian was being totally honest. 

Shianni had also warmed up to Morrigan after she had heard about what went down in the market. Only Nola and Cyrion where being quiet, barely engaging in any conversation unless directly asked, and choosing for the most part to ignore the younger members of the Tabris clan.

It was much later that evening that Cassian finally had a few moments to talk to his father alone. 

“Son, may I speak to you for a moment?” Cyrion said softly, catching Cassian just outside of his bedroom. 

“Of course Father. What would you like to discuss?” Cassian asked following his father back out into the living room. Cassian took a seat on the couch and his father in an overstuffed chair. The house was quiet. Nola, Soris, and Shianni were all upstairs readying for bed. Morrigan was likely getting ready for bed, or spying on them, or both.

“I just want to start off saying I am sorry that we haven’t been able to really talk. Works been busy as you remember.” Cyrion said pulling out his pipe and starting to smoke.

Cassian nodded politely eyeing the pipe. It was possibly the most Ferelden habit that Cyrion had picked up since they had come here so long ago. Elves in Orlais did not smoke, scent, like everything else was curated carefully. But as with everything in Ferelden, appearances were less important.

“Nola told me about the... disagreement you had earlier today.” Cyrion began. “I want you to know that I believe she was in the wrong to try and kick you out. You are my son. Nothing can change that.” At this Cyrion sighed, taking a long puff from his pipe. He looked older, the years of hard labor were starting to wear on him. “She just- she worries, you’re too smart for your own good and she worries about the trouble it could bring us.”   
  
At this Cassian cocked his head, his dark eyes staring intensely at his father. “I think we both know that’s not the reason why she dislikes me.” 

Cyrion chuckled sadly taking another puff from his pipe. “Adina.” He finally said softly. Cassian regarded him with surprise, his father rarely spoke his mother’s name. “You look so much like your mother, you have her spirit to.Yes, you are right, Nola dislikes you because of the memory you represent. Nola fears I will stop loving her, that our marriage will grow as cold as your mother’s grave...”

“I know” Cassian said quietly, looking at the floor. 

“That being said, and despite Nola’s misgivings about this, I must ask you-  _ please _ stay here with us.” 

Cassian looked up surprised, he had not expected such an offer from his father. “I’m not sure I understand.” Cassian said cautiously.

“Tomorrow, when that boat leaves, don’t get on it. Shianni, can talk to the King, I’m sure that we can convince him to allow you to stay in the city. Just- when that-  _ that woman _ leaves… don’t go with her.” Cyrion said almost pleadingly. 

“While I appreciate your offer.” Cassian said his voice laced with acid. “I have no intention of staying. What would I even do here? Work in the kitchens of some noble? Go back to cleaning shit out of the bathrooms at the tavern I used work at? There is nothing for me here. I love Morrigan, I would follow her anywhere.” 

Cyrion regarded him with what could only be described as a pitying expression. “Your family is here, isn’t that enough?” Cassian did not answer him, Cyrion sighed, reaching out he put his hand over his sons. “That woman is going to get you killed one day.” Cyrion stared at Cassian, his expression steel.

“Even a day with her, is worth an early death.” Cassian pulled his hand away from his father's. “It’s late, I should go to bed. Morrigan and I will be leaving early tomorrow morning.” Cassian started down the hall to his room. “It was good to see you again Father.”

Cyrion smiled sadly and nodded. “It was good to see you to, son.”

***

Cassian shut the door to his room silently. He let out a long sigh and leaned his forehead against the door trying to let the stress of the day wash away. After a minute he turned around to see Morrigan watching him, her face was expressionless. 

“Is it safe for me to guess that you heard that conversation?” Cassian asked as he walked over to the bed and took a seat beside her. 

“I did. Do you want to stay?” Morrigan asked quietly.

“No.” Cassian said looking at her intensely. “My place, my  _ home _ , is with you. Nothing will change that.”

Morrigan smiled softly and leaned over kissing him on the mouth. After a moment Cassian pulled away, their faces just inches apart. 

“Besides, I can’t risk you running off with Soris.” Cassian said with a grin on his face.

Morrigan chuckled and moved to straddle Cassian, she pulled him in for another kiss as he wrapped his arms around her.

“I knew you were jealous. You can be so transparent sometimes.” She said smirking at him and poking his cheek.

“I was never trying to be secretive.” 

Morrigan chucked at Cassian's antics. “Come now.” She said clearing her throat, trying to sound all business like. “We should sleep, we have a long journey ahead of us.”

***

The next morning arrived with Cassian and Morrigan all packed and ready to go. Cyrion had given them some food that would keep for a while. All that was left was to say goodbye.

Shianni went first, wrapping Cassian into a giant hug, squeezing him tight. “Be safe cousin. Oh how I will miss you. Thank you for everything you have done, for the Alienage, and for me.” Shianni said giving Cassian a watery smile. 

“Of course cousin. Don’t forget your own strength in all of this.” Cassian said returning her smile. 

Soris was next he gave Cassian and big hug, and then hugged Morrigan as well. “If you ever get tired of this one let me know, I am very available.” Soris joked. 

“I think that will be unlikely, but thank you for your offer, I supposed.” Morrigan responded. 

Nola for her part just stood in the doorway and gave them both a single nod. “Always a pleasure seeing you Nola.” Cassian said flatly. 

Cyrion went last he wrapped Cassian up in a big hug, holding him close. “Your mother would be so proud of the man you have become.” He held Cassian a moment longer, knowing that this would most likely be the last time they were together.

Finally he pulled apart and to everyone's surprise pulled Morrigan into a quick hug. “You take care of my boy.” Cyrion whispered in her ear, he pulled away leaving Morrigan with a slightly stunned expression on her face.

Cassian reached over and held Morrigan’s hand. He gave the group one final wave, and together Morrigan and Cassian walked towards the Alienage exit. It was time to start the next chapter of their lives.


	22. Life Goes On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up to everyone we will be taking a temporary hiatus. Most of the rest of this story is complete, but there are a few random chapters we need to finish. Hopefully they will be done in the next week or so. Thanks again for reading!

Amira entered the room as quietly as she could while balancing two trays of food. It seemed she needn't have bothered though, as she found their newest Warden awake, if still abed and disoriented. "Good morning," Amira greeted softly. Bethany stared at her, as if she wasn’t entirely sure she was real.

“Warden Commander?”

“How are you feeling?” Amira asked, ignoring the implicit ‘what are you doing here?’ as she set down the breakfast trays. 

“I…” Bethany made as if to get up, but faltered half way through looking dizzy. “...is it always that bad?” she asked ruefully, whatever lie she’d been about to tell about being fine utterly undone by the fact that she’d just collapsed against her headboard.

“Unfortunately, so.” The porridge Amira handed Bethany was nothing fancy, but it was still warm, and the cook had been able to find a bit of honey for it. The way Bethany ate, one would think it the finest Orlesian delicacy. “I still remember mine. It’d only been a few days since my Harrowing. I’d thought nothing could be as bad as that. I was, of course, wrong.”

Bethany paused in her meal, seeming thoughtful, and perhaps just a little sad. “I’ve never been Harrowed.” said softly, glancing up at Amira. She’d already been informed Bethany was a mage, and simply nodded.

“Apostate then?”

“My whole life.”

“Well I wouldn’t worry about that here. More than a few people end up in the Wardens, because they’re running from something. Quite a few from the Chantry, in fact.” That surprised a smile, albeit a small one, out of Bethany. 

"Are you visiting Ailbe next or am I getting special treatment because I showed up Blight sick?" Bethany asked, the echo of laughter in her tone. Amira felt her face fall at the mention of Ailbe, and the realization that Bethany didn't know. She tried to school her features back into something professional, if not managing the gentle welcome she'd been trying for before, but Bethany had already caught on. "He didn't survive, did he?" she asked quietly, whatever cheer she'd managed to conjure up gone in an instant.

"No," Amira confirmed softly, trying to push out her own grief and the feeling that she'd done this to him. Another death on her hands. "He didn't."

Bethany didn't seem to know what to say to that, and the silence hung heavy in the air as Bethany pushed what was left of her porridge around her bowl. "I think I'd like to be alone now" she finally said quietly, still looking into her bowl. Amira sighed.

"Okay." Amira said with a nod, grabbing her own breakfast, and making her way to the door. "We'll see about doing some evaluations in a few days." she said, hating that she could only give Bethany as much time as it took for her to physically recover, but becoming a Warden wasn't a cure or a kindness. Amira believed in what she was doing, she could never regret becoming a Warden. It could be something good, and important if you let it. If you chose it, but… "For now just worry about getting your strength back." Bethany didn't say anything as Amira closed the door behind her.

So much for making her feel comfortable.

***

Whatever inroads Amira had managed to build in making Bethany feel welcomed in the Wardens seemed to have been completely shattered by the news that Ailbe had not survived the Joining. Bethany performed her duties, she participated in training, but it was always with the clear sense that she wanted to be somewhere else. Amira didn’t know what to do to help her. She couldn’t make Bethany feel at home if she didn’t wish to, there was no looming imminent threat of destruction to distract and bond them, and the fact remained that Bethany hadn’t had a real choice in coming here. For her it had been the Joining or death.

However much Amira might have wanted to focus her attention on looking after each of her Wardens, Amira had to accept that life went on. There was work to be done, requests to field, invitations to court to avoid, and training to be done. It still surprised her that the last one was the hardest to fit into her daily schedule. 

It was just barely dawn when Amira found herself on the training grounds, running through her morning sword sets. The motions had become familiar and practiced over the years, there was something almost soothing about running the drills in first light of day.

Halfway through her typical set, she felt someone’s gaze on her, but Amira refused to falter. If it was a messenger with a missive they could either wait or interrupt her if it was important enough. Perhaps she hadn’t quite yet shaken that just awoken grumpiness. Amira remained uninterrupted, but the weight of watching remained. Curiosity won over obstinance in the end, and Amira cut her training short to see who it was that needed her attention now. Amira tried not to look surprised when she realized it was Bethany watching, or that she’d been attempting to be subtle about it. At Amira’s nod of greeting Bethany startled, but she didn’t stop staring. Amira let her.

“You fight with a sword.” Bethany finally said, a question that wasn’t.

“I do.” Amira agreed needlessly.

Bethany’s brow furrowed. “You’re a mage though aren’t you? I mean, I thought, that is, you said.”

“I can be both.” Bethany still looked like she was puzzling through something, and Amira took pity on her. “I’m specialized as an arcane warrior. It’s based on old Elvhen art, lets you channel your magic into a physical strength. Useful for close range combat.”

“Would you teach me?”

This time it was Amira who was surprised. “Why do you want to learn?”

“I-” Bethany faltered, and then her resolve firmed. “I know a little bit of the blade already. Aveline-- a friend from back” she stumbled over the word “back home, she taught me a bit. Said I should know how to protect myself when I couldn’t use magic.” She laughed in the way people do when the joke is on them. “I’ve never protected myself. Not really.” 

She stared at some imagined point over Amira’s shoulder, looking frustrated. “Ever since I was a little girl someone else has always been there looking after me. Father, Carver, my sister. Or worse, we’d run. To protect me and my secret. I’m so tired of running. Maybe if I’d known how look after myself we wouldn’t have had to.”

“I won’t go easy on you.”

Bethany smiled at Amira for the first time since she’d told her Ailbe was dead. “Thank you.”

***

“Very good Bethany.” Amira smiled as the new recruit huffed and swung her sword again at a practice dummy. The two of them had been training since dawn. The sun now hung high in the sky beating down on them both. “You need to widen your stance more, don’t keep your feet so close together.” Bethany nodded wordlessly and swung again. “Much better!”

Bethany smiled and was about to say something we they were interrupted by a very excited Nathaniel Howe.

“Commander, do you have a moment?”

“I think that is enough practice for today Bethany, why don’t you go rest. We’ll pick this up again tomorrow.”   
  
“Of course Commander.” Bethany turned and left quickly, eager for a break.

Amira returned her attention to Nathaniel.

“Warden Commander Amira Surana, may I present to you Warden Temson Cadash.” 

Amira blinked, surprised that Nathaniel was presenting her with a fully matriculated Warden. All of the new Warden’s who came to Vigil’s Keep were fresh recruits, they had yet to go through the Joining. 

She assessed the new Warden. He was the average size for a dwarf with dark skin, and the kind of easy smile that made you want to smile back. “It is a pleasure to meet you Warden Cadash.” Amira said extending her hand.

Temson took her hand and gave a firm shake grinning widely. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Amira, Nathaniel here tells me that you have a bit of a statue problem.”

Amira flushed red at Temson’s comment. She hated those statues. They were humiliating, and a constant reminder of Cassian. A reminder that Cassian didn’t even need to be there to make her life just a little bit worse. She tried to push that thought aside, focus on something else. Temson had called her by her first name and not her title. That was… odd. 

“Temson is from the Free Marches, specifically Markham. Technically he falls outside of your direct command.” Nathaniel said sensing her confusion. “Temson is a Warden expert on Dwarven carving. He should be able to figure out how to dismantle the previous Commanders… projects.”

“I look forward to the challenge.” Temson said rubbing his hands together. “Amira why don’t you give me a tour of the Keep and show me these statues. I think I may have seen one of them when I arrived. After that, we can grab a drink and discuss the best way remove the statues. I don’t care how hard it is, with the right touch, it’ll blow.”

Nathaniel scoffed and was about to speak before Amira interrupted him, completely missing the innuendo.

“That sounds like a good plan. Follow me.”   
  
Amira and Temson walked towards the main entrance of the Keep leaving a scandalized Nathaniel behind them. “I need some paper…” Nathaniel muttered. “Cassian is going to lose his shit over this.”

***

While a walking tour of Cassian’s art projects was not Amira’s idea of a good time, she’d had a surprisingly good time touring the Keep with Temson. He was clever, and quick with a joke whenever he noticed Amira growing annoyed at the statues. Being around him was just easy. Despite the odds, her good mood managed to last all the way to the tavern, and after hashing out the beginnings of a rough plan of attack for destroying the statues they’d just… kept talking. Their discussions meandered in that way conversations do when the hour grows late, and the ale flows. From the safe waters of the newly acquainted to midnight philosophy.

“I think at some point I sort of forgot I was an elf.” Amira admitted, tongue loosened by a perhaps a few too many drinks, but she was still coherent. Mostly coherent at least, seeing that as soon as she’d made her declaration she realized she wasn’t quite using the right words. Temson raised an eyebrow and Amira stumbled to make the concept that felt so clear to her make sense outside her head. “Not… I didn’t stop seeing my ears or something. I just mean, functionally, I forgot. It’s different in the Circle.” And wasn’t that the understatement of the Age? “You’re a mage first, and everything else comes second. Who you’re apprenticed to, what fatternatity you pledge, your magical affinities… It’s still us versus them, but it’s a different us and a different them.”

“I get it.” Temson said, and something in his tone made Amira believe him. “You know my parents always told me about Orzammar and the castes. I mean how could they avoid it? I sort of thought it was romantic; they ignored all that and ran away together with me-- they’re so fucking in love, what else was I supposed to think? But then I went to Orzammar, and” he gestured toward the brand on his face. “Before they realized I was a Warden people would just look through me, or worse. I was less than nothing. I always knew I was casteless, but that didn’t mean anything to me. Not till then. Funny ain’t it, how fluid a constant can be?” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Amira agreed softly, remembering all the people she’d meet after she’d left the tower. All the people who’d seen  _ elf  _ before everything else. She’d expected push back for being a mage. She’d been prepared for that, had understood that and experienced that. She hadn’t expected how much derision and dismissal she’d received for her ears, and the hue of her skin. For all that she’d been born in an alienage she’d been raised in the tower. She had never been as keenly aware of that as she had in the first few months of the Blight.

“Nobody knew what to make of me when they did figure it out.” He reminisced. “Wardens are to be respected, but I was a branded surfacer so I wasn’t supposed to be worth the dirt I stood on. I think eventually they decided to just pretend I was a short human and ignore it completely. Or maybe that was just dad’s house.”

“Your dad’s?” Amira asked in confusion. “Why would they care? Aren’t they casteless?” Dwarves took the caste of their same gendered parent, Amira was almost sure of it.

“Noble.” He corrected, a sudden measured stillness to him as he took a sip of his ale. “It’s another reason they weren’t sure what to make of me.” He explained slowly. “See when I was born they decided I was a girl. I think they figured I was defying the will of the ancestors when I saw fit to correct that mistaken assumption.”

Amira hummed thoughtfully. “You know, I’ve never really understood why the dwarves are so insistent that being dead makes you suddenly infallible.”

Temson, snorted, and it quickly turned into laughter. “Fuck if I know.” 

Amira grinned, and bumped his shoulder with her’s, suddenly ridiculously glad it was him the Wardens had sent to help with her statue problem. Amaranthine was a fine place to be, and she’d made some friends along the way, but most of them were still under her command. Temson was someone outside her direct chain of command and it was… nice. It was nice to just have a friend who things could be easy with.


	23. Revelations

_ My Dearest Amira, _

_ I would like to start off apologizing for not writing sooner. The process of exterminating Antiva’s little…  _ **_crow infestation_ ** _ , has been more tedious than I expected. _

_ I am terribly sorry to hear about the boy who did not survive his Joining. That must have been very difficult for you, you have always had a caring soul. Too gentle, perhaps, for the work you do, but you manage to be terribly good at it all the same don’t you? _

_ But moving past all of this dreary business, I think we simply  _ **_must_ ** _ talk about this Temson fellow, no? He sounds quite dashing. A hero of the Grey Warden’s, sent to save you from the diabolical antics of Cassian Tabris. I do hope you leave at least one of these statues though, I would love to see it when I have the time to visit. _

_ That being said, you spent almost the entirety of your last letter talking about Temson. It sounds like you fancy the fellow. Now before you clam up and say ‘no absolutely not! Alistair was it for me.’ I would like to remind you that Alistair is no longer available, and do you really want to get the rest of your life without sex? That in and of itself is quite the self punishment.  _

_ Personally, I think you should go for it. He’s not your subordinate and you seem to like him. What’s more, it’s time to move on from this Alistair business. And you know what they say… the best way to get over someone, is to get under someone else. _

_ Just something to think about my friend.  _

_ Much love, _

_ Zev _

Amira stared at the letter in her hands her mouth agape, trying desperately to process what Zevran was suggesting. Her-  _ liking _ Temson? That was ridiculous. Just because she’d mentioned Temson a few times, it didn’t meant anything. Well perhaps more than a few times, she realized looking back over the first draft of the letter she’d sent to Zevran. It was only natural he come up so much, she rationalized, when one considered that they’d been spending so much time together. Besides their work on dismantling Cassian’s pet project, they’d been comparing practices between their branches of the Wardens, and training together. Temson had been invaluable in helping her refine her form when working with her longswords, and fighting him was simply fun. She’d almost forgotten how much she could actually enjoy training, though she had Bethany to thank for that reminder as well. Outside of work Amira found herself more and more in Temson’s company as well. He was clever, and funny, and had a way of making Amira forget her troubles and responsibilities for a moment. He was--

Oh. Oh, Blighted flames Zevran was right wasn’t he?

Amira buried her face into her pillow, and contemplate the merits of smothering herself. After a long moment she groaned, and rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling of her bedroom. When had this happened? What was she supposed to do with this? Maker knew she wasn’t good at this sort of thing, the complete implosion of her relationship with Alistair was enough evidence of that. Worse, as much as she was coming to realize that feelings for Temson had managed to sneak up on her, she knew she wasn’t over Alistair. Was that normal? Was that alright? She really wished Leliana or Zevran were here. They would know, or at least know what to say to make her feel better.

She started mentally running through a list of possible people she could talk to. Nathaniel was closest in rank to her, but the idea of talking about something so personal with Cassian’s best friend made her slightly uneasy. Sigrun and Bethany were rather naive when it came to affairs of the heart. Velanna was an option, but they weren’t exactly close. Plus Amira was pretty sure Nathaniel was trying to court Velanna, although she had yet to pick up on any of his hints. Amira doubted she could get very good advice from her.

The only other person she could talk to about this was Temson and that seemed rather redundant. Amira supposed she could content herself with never talking about it and eventually Temson would leave and that would be that. Yes, that was it, a perfect plan.

Maybe she should revisit the smothering herself idea.

***

They’d already made plans to meet up at the Tavern before Amira had received Zevran’s letter, and its subsequent revelations. For a long moment she seriously considered sending word that she’d be unable to make this evening before deciding that being a coward wouldn’t help anything. She would be fine, Amira reminded herself. She could enjoy a night with a friend without letting something so minor and inconvenient as an attraction to that friend get in the way. People did it every day.

As she entered the tavern, Temson waved her over with a shout and a warm smile, and Amira cursed Zevran his perceptiveness. She managed a small smile anyway, and quickly settled next to him, an ale placed in front of her before she was even properly sat.

Despite her initial nerves, and reservations Amira found herself settling into the evening easily. Without prying into why Temson seemed to pick up on her discomfort, and without missing a beat moved to carry the bulk of the conversation. As he went into detail about their latest attempts to dismantle Cassian’s statutes, explaining the blend of explosives, runecrafting, and a lyrium they were giving a go this round Amira found herself relaxing. It was a fascinating art, and it almost made Amira regret not paying more attention to Sandal’s enchanting back during the Blight. Then again she doubted he’d have been able to answer her questions with more than an excited exclamation of ‘enchantment!’ and a clap. Temson’s explanations also had the benefit of being carried by a handsome face, and charming smile.

Frankly it might have also been the ale helping her relax. She’d had a lot of ale. Maybe too much ale… her fingers were all tingly… 

Listening to Temson was nice. Temson was in the middle of talking about how the explosives had to be placed a certain way to so as to not scatter and kill any bystanders when Amira decided ‘fuck it’. 

She leaned in and kissed him square on the mouth. She pulled back and took in the sight of Temson’s face and her stomach dropped.  _ Fuck _ . Amira looked down her face burning. Stupid ale, stupid Zevran for pointing out her feelings. She should leave, she should leave and run far away and never kiss anyone ever again. 

“Huh.” Temson said, looking at her in a way that wasn’t bad, maybe she didn’t need to flee to Antiva and change her name? “Well I can’t say I was expecting that.”

“Sorry.” Amira winced.

“Hey now I didn’t say I was opposed to it” he said, smiling at her in a way that reminded her a little bit of Zevran. “But it was over so quick, I’d say we might need to give it another go. Proper procedure and all that.”

Amira blinked, before her ale slowed mind pointed out that this wasn’t a bad reaction. “Oh.” Amira grinned, perhaps listening to Zevran wasn’t always such a terrible idea. 


	24. Sweet Dreams Are Made of This

Morrigan and Cassian were camped on the Silent Plains, they were searching the area for ancient magics. Morrigan was worried that Flemeth would come for her sooner rather than later. Honestly Cassian didn’t blame her, and he didn’t really have a right to complain. He had maybe kinda sorta most definitely lied her about Flemeth being dead… On the other hand he had eventually told her the truth... So here they were on the Silent Plains searching for memories, and scraps of anything that could lend them insight into the magic of old. Anything that could turn the tide for when Flemeth came to claim Morrigan. 

Cassian shifted slightly on his mat. He and Morrigan had been taking turns entering the Fade to look for memories. One stayed and the other went, this helped them from falling prey to any demons who would try to corrupt them. If they saw the other in the Fade they knew it was a lie. The other protected their physical body, while whoever was sleeping looked for clues.

Recently he had been the one going into the Fade more nights than most. Since coming to the Silent Plains he’d been hearing an odd sound in the Fade, like a low bass. He believed it was a war horn, sounded by Darkspawn or Wardens he did not know. Morrigan hadn’t heard it yet, but she believed that it may lead him to some clue about the magics used during the final battle of the First Blight, which had happened somewhere on these Plains. Anything strong enough to help kill Dumat could be strong enough to kill Flemeth permanently. So far though they had yet to find the actual battle. Hence Cassian needing to go back into the Fade to find the battle horn. 

Morrigan came and sat beside where he was lying on the mat. She had finally finished placing the wards around their camp. They would not be disturbed now.

“Are you ready my love?”

Cassian nodded quickly, ready to get this over with. He didn’t like the Fade, it was a reflection of one's mind, and his mind was twisty to say the least, he didn't need to wander in some version of it. 

He looked to Morrigan for reassurance, she knew he didn’t like going into the Fade anymore then she did. 

“Cassian, you can do this, I believe the taint is what is allowing you to hear the battle, just follow the horn, and you will find our prize.”

Cassian nodded again. “ I will do this, just remember that I am going to hate every minute of it, and when this is over we are going to Orlais. A place that is actually fun.”

Morrigan's lips twitched upwards into a small smile. “Very well, I’ve been wanting to explore the Emerald Graves for a while now.”

Cassian smiled happily, the Emerald Graves had a much kinder climate, and a more unique selection of wildlife that was less likely to kill you… With the exception of the Great Bears of course.

“Ok” Cassian muttered “Let's get this over with.” He shut his eyes and tried to relax as Morrigan began the spell that would help put him to sleep.

***

Cassian opened his eyes to find himself standing in the middle of the Silent Plains, only now it was of course much more Fade like. He looked around taking in the scenery, what used to be a desolate wasteland was replaced with beautiful grassland. To the right, far off in the distance was a thick forest reaching out beyond his line of sight. To the left, the plains continued, and beyond that, mountains reached towards the sky. 

Cassian started off towards the forest, heading slightly north towards Perivantium, a now ancient settlement outside of the Silent Plains. He had no intention of going quiet that far northwest, but it would be a good direction to start. His goal was to find the site of the Battle of Dumat, where the First Blight was finally ended by the Wardens after nearly 200 years of war. Surely there were some magical traces of great power that lingered at the site. Something Morrigan could use. 

He reached the edge of the forest, it was darker inside, but he had no difficulty navigating the terrain. Morrigan had taught him how to traverse environments like these on their journeys together, As he ventured further into the forest he saw a figure farther ahead. He was human, tall, with long black hair. Cassian stopped about 10 feet from him. The man turned to look at him, this man wore the face of Nathaniel Howe.

Cassian assessed the demon carefully, he was pleased that the demon hadn’t taken Morrigan’s face, and it was always good to see his best friend even if it wasn't really him.  “Hello Nathaniel.”

“Greetings my old friend, its been a while, you are a long way from  Amaranthine .”

Cassian snorted, but smiled nonetheless. “Yes well, I figured it was Amira’s turn to babysit you lot.”

Nathaniel smiled in return “Yes well, we both know she doesn't compare to you. You are the superior warrior and leader my friend.”

“As much as I love a good ego stroking, we both know what you really are. So let's skip this and why don’t you help me find the site of the Battle of Dumat.” 

The Demon smiled, Nathaniel's features twisting in a rather disconcerting way. He let out a short whistle, and a wolf came bounding out the foliage.

Cassian raised an eyebrow at the demon.

“I’m a ranger remember, I’ve got to play the part.”

“Very well, lead the way.”

Nathaniel nodded and he and the wolf started walking farther into the woods. Cassian followed a few paces behind them.

At a few points the demon tried to engage him in conversation, Cassian shut him down quickly, usually reminding him that Nathaniel wasn’t much of a talker on missions. The demon would go quiet again, and the wolf would lead them farther into the woods, occasionally stopping and looking back to wait for them to catch up. 

Normally Cassian would be totally fine to engage a demon who was wearing the face of his best friend in conversation. He had a feeling that Morrigan might not appreciate it if all he woke up and all he had to show for his dream was a rather pleasant conversation with Nathaniel about different types of shrubs, and their various uses. 

It was a few hours before he heard it, the horn, a haunting note that reverberated through the forest, echoing off the trees and sinking right into his bones. He felt the noise in his very being, and it was exhilarating. Yet the demon and the wolf seemed not to react to it.

“Stop” Cassian said “ do you not hear that?”   
  
“Hear what?” asked the fake Nathaniel, his voice coming out in a rather tired manner.

“The horn! How do you not hear it?”

Nathaniel shrugged indifferently, and sat down on an overturned log, the wolf came and lay down at his feet, resting for the moment. Nathaniel patted the spot beside him, and motioned for Cassian to come sit beside him. Cassian, sat beside him cautiously. He had a feeling that the demon was about to spring its trap. 

“Why do you persist forward my dear friend? The journey had been so long and hard, you must be exhausted. I know I am.”

Cassian eyed the demon carefully, waiting for him to make his move.

“Perhaps, we should take a break, just lay back, and enjoy the sun shining through the trees, and the sound of the bird--- _ chack hruk. _

The Sloth demon slumped over, dead, its neck slit by the knife Cassian had taken off its person when they sat down. The wolf perked up slightly, watching him rather curiously. 

“So are you going to lead me in the direction of the horns, or are you just going to keep napping?”

The wolf got up slowly and started to make its way farther into the forest, Cassian figured that if Nathaniel was a Sloth demon then the rather sentient canine was a probably spirit of some kind, maybe a spirit of Purpose or Learning. Cassian didn’t understand necessarily why a Sloth demon would be drawn to him when a Fear or Pride demon would have so much more to work with. The demon probably allowed the spirit to hang around as it took the form of a traditionally nonverbal creature. 

Cassian and the wolf walked for hours, the terrain seemed to shift slightly indicating that they did not have much more time before he woke up. The horns continued, but had not grown any louder.

The foliage grew thinner and eventually they exited the forest. The were at the top of a small cliff that overlooked more grassland, and sitting in the very center of it was a truly magnificent city. It gleamed in the low light, its spires reaching towards the sky. Large chunks of rock floated in the sky slowly around it. Even from this distance he could see that this city was massive, putting both Denerim and Halamshiral to shame in both size and beauty. Cassian could only stare in wonder, he had never seen such a place as this. This city was clearly ancient, and forgotten. It had most likely been built by the elves long before even the First Blight. 

“What is this place?” 

The wolf just blinked at him, watching silently.

“Spirit, why did you bring me here? This shows me no battle! The horns continue, but nothing is here but this city. Is it some sort of clue? Answer me!”

The wolf looked at the city gleaming in the light but remained quiet. Cassian let out a sound of frustration. 

“What is this place? What spirit are you? Answer me!”

The wolf turned to look at him once more.

“Solas.”

***

Cassian sat bolt upright on his mat breathing heavily. There was a roaring sound in his ears a type of crescendo, like an ocean. 

“Cassian” Morrigan said beside him, trying to get his attention. Cassian was trying to get his bearings desperately, he felt all twisted up, and memory of the horns clearer in his head then when he was in the Fade-

He froze suddenly, his body felt hot and cold all over, he twisted to the side and vomited. He felt Morrigan grab him from behind, one hand holding his forearm, and her other hand resting where his neck met his shoulder, trying to offer him some support.  He distantly heard her making soothing noises trying to calm him down from his shaking. He took in deep gasps of air. Trying to stop the world from twisting out from under him. 

“Tis ok, my love. Tis a panic attack, breath it will pass.” Cassian's hands felt numb, he was overheating. He felt Morrigan move behind him, and then a water flask come into his field of vision. “Drink.”

Cassian chugged the water as quickly as he could. The numbness faded, and his breathing evened out. After a few minutes he was finally able to relax a little bit. Morrigan and Cassian were both quiet. He working on his breathing, and Morrigan holding him.

“...What happened in there? What did you see?”

Cassian stared straight ahead, not saying anything, he felt raw and scrapped over, he didn’t want to say the words. Not to her, anyone but her. 

“Cassian” Morrigan said sharply, snapping him out of his stupor. “Did the horns lead you to the battle? Did they show you the truth?”

“Yes…”

He felt Morrigan breath a sigh of relief, good, resting her forehead on the back of his neck. 

“Point us in the direction on the map, and we can head that way. Hopefully we’ll finally find what we need to beat Flemeth.”

“We need to go.” He said the words softly barely above a whisper.

“Yes Cass, we do. I’ll get the map, and then we can begin our journey again.”

Morrigan made to move but Cassian caught her hand in his. He turned to face her. Morrigan’s yellow eyes caught the morning light, seeming to glow in a truly otherworldly way. Cassian stared at her for a long moment, taking her in.

“My love? Tis something the matter? 

“The horns did not show me the Battle of Dumat. I believe that history is lost to us forever. The horns were something else.”   
  
“What were they?”

“The Calling. I’m dying Morrigan.” Tears started to fall from Cassian’s eyes. More than anything he feared his death. The sound of horns he’d been following in the Fade had been in his own mind. And now it had followed him out of the Fade. It was real.

Morrigan stared at him, not seeming to comprehend what she had just heard. 

“No, you are not dying.” She said this so assuredly that Cassian almost believed her. “I won’t let you.”

“We knew this would happen eventually.”

“Yes, but not so soon, I figured you would die after you outlived Alistair. Partly out of spite, and partly so you could properly piss on his grave.”  Cassian gave a small smile at this, she had just listed one of his life's ambitions.  “We just need a plan, the Wardens were created by magic, and I could to undo it. You are not allowed to die until I say so.”

Cassian sat quietly for a minute, pondering their next move. Then it came to him.  “We need access to resources and magic. The kind that still exists, we need so stop wandering in dreams for now. We need to go to Orlais. You can join the Court as a consultant, or something, and I will visit Avernus in Ferelden about his research.”

“You want to split up?”

“Yes, for now. I’m not a mage or a Templar, and we’re not in the middle of a Bight, so me getting access to the texts will be nearly impossible. You might have an easier time.  It’s also becoming less safe for apostates to travel now. While you're doing that I’ll use my resources in the Wardens to find out more about our origins.”

Morrigan was quiet considering what he had just said. “Very well, I agree, but we cannot be expected to just join the Court. Once you leave I will have no connections, and if Leliana is there, she will see me out soon enough.”

Cassian nodded in agreement. “Don’t worry I have a plan, we are going to need to make a small pitstop Jader before we go to Val Royeaux. We just need to curry the right type of favor…” An impish smile appeared on his face. Morrigan appeared to relax at that. They could do this. Cassian had no intention of dying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what Cassian's Calling sounds like if anyone was curious.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgGaM-6bxoE


	25. The Party

Alistair walked among the lords and ladies of the Ferelden nobility. He was attending some sort of major event. Not that Alistair really cared, he liked parties, but not like this. Hundreds of people he barely knew crammed into one room. It was all so fake. So  _ Orleasion _ .

Just one of the consequences of being king. If Alistair was being totally honest, he did enjoy being a king. He liked having a say in things and shaping his country for the better. And it was better. During the Blight it had been hard, he’d been so afraid to step up and lead, Amira and Cassian had been forced to co-lead. Because of that the results had not always been great. His biggest regret was that he hadn’t been braver. Well not his biggest regret. He had one other…

The sound of laughter caught Alistair's attention causing him to look about the room for the source of the noise. Finally he saw were it had come from, Amira. Alistair smiled at the sight of her and started to walk over. The last time she had been in Denerim she had actively tried to avoid him, but that had been a few years ago. She seemed to be in better spirits now. Perhaps she would finally talk to him. 

Then he could explain. Explain that he still loved her, that they could make it work. That he hadn’t touched Anora, even after all this time. He loved her and only her. Yes, now was the time, he was finally going to fix this. 

He walked briskly towards her, the crowd parting around him to make space for the King. His smile widened she laughed again. She was so beautiful, he noted that her hair was longer, he liked it. 

Alistair's smile suddenly disappeared. He was right behind Amira and could finally see what she was laughing at, or rather, whom she was laughing with. A  _ man _ . A man that was not him. Alistair steeled himself, he was King, he could do this. He cleared his throat getting Amira and the other man's attention.

“Oh, Alistair, I didn’t realize you were right there.” Amira said surprised to see him. She took a step back and stood beside the man she had been laughing with. “Alistair- erm- King Alistair, this is Temson Cadash of the Grey Wardens”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you my king.” The Warden said bowing to him.

Alistair narrowed his eyes and took him the Warden. He had dark skin and a square jaw. He was shorter than Amira but not by to much. Overall Alistair had to admit he was a handsome man. He clenched his teeth slightly in anger. 

He could turn this around. He just needed to get Amira alone for minute. Then he could convince her to dump the Warden and go with him. A flawless plan. 

“Amira would you care to dance?” He asked smoothly mentally high fiving himself. 

“Oh, actually Temson had just asked me.” Amira said sharing a smile with other Warden. Alistair felt a flare of jealousy course through him. 

“Of course, perhaps we could speak later? I wished discuss something about the Warden’s with you, privately.” He said shooting a look at Cadash, who simply raised their eyebrows at Alistair’s not so subtle hostility. 

“Of course.” Amira said smiling easily. Temson grabbed her hand and pulled Amira onto the dance floor grinning as he did so.

***

Several hours later Alistair was wandering through the halls of the castle. He’d lost track of Amira a while ago. Some of the nobility had demanded his attention about some minor bandit problems in the Southern Hinterlands. 

Alistair was pulled out of his mushing when he heard a soft moan. Frowning slightly he followed the sound around the corner to see Amira. And the Cadash fellow. Kissing. He watched dumbstruck as he backed her against a piller a bit to abruptly causing Amira to bang her head. She broke the kiss and they both laughed.

Alistar was about to step forward and make his presence known when a hand on his shoulder startled him. He turned to see Anora, standing beside him and also watching the couple. Who were so wrapped up in their own world that they didn’t even notice them watching. 

“Don’t.” Anora said a steely look in her eye.

“What do you mean _don’t_.” Alistair snapped back.

Anora rolled her eyes and pulled Alistair around the corner away from Amira and Cadash. “You know exactly what I mean. Don’t ruin this for her. She’s clearly happy.”

“How dare you, you have no right to tell-”

“I am your wife, and I have said this many times before. I don’t care whom you bed, even if it is  _ her _ . But she is in a relationship and she is happy. Do you want to know how I know that?” Alistair stared at Anora saying nothing. “I know because she told me she was.”

Alistair’s face fell at her words. His plans of winning her back falling away as quickly as the retreating tide. 

“Look, I know you are the love of her life, but you chose to be King, you chose that over her. And she knows that. It’s taken her a long time but she is finally starting to move on. Let her.”

Alistair was quiet for a long moment. “Okay, I won’t get in the way. It’s just, she’s the love of my life too…” he said sadly. 

At Alistair’s admission Anora’s face softened. “Then you should move on as well.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?” Alistair said bitterly. 

“Well you know what they say, the best way to get over someone, is to get under someone else.” Anora smiled at him and patted his cheek affectionately before turning at walking away. 

Alistair sighed and returned to the party. At the very least he could get piss drunk and forget about this whole thing. He grabbed a cup ready to drink a flagon of beer if needed, but he was interrupted.

“Excuse me, King Alistair?” A soft tentative voice said

He turned around to come face to face with Lady Morag of Amaranthine. This was not the first time they had met. They had met multiple times over the last few years. Lady Morag had made no attempts to hide her interest in him.

“Yeeesss?” he said stretching out the word slightly, as he was slightly prone to do when in an awkward situation. “I mean- ah- hem… Sorry about that.” Alistair said clearing his throat. “Is there something I can help you with Lady Morag?

She smiled and flushed, boldly stepping into his personal space. “I just noticed that’s quite a bit of drink you’re about to consume.”

“Oh um, yes, yes it is.” Alistair said scratching his neck awkwardly. 

“I was wondering if you might want some help drinking it? I do so love  _ sucking _ down a strong drink.” she whispered in his ear.

Alistair choked slightly on his drink, coughing to clear his throat. Morag stared at him, her intentions very clear. He stared at her for a moment, considering his options. “Oh what the hell. Come with me.” With that Alistair grabbed her hand and started leading her out of the party to his private chambers. 

On his way out he made eye contact with Anora who smiled and gave him a thumbs up.


	26. Who am I to Disagree?

“I cannot believe that you dragged me all the way across the Waking Sea just so we could go to Jadar. I don’t care how nice the city looks it smells disgusting.”

Cassian and Morrigan had just stepped off of the faire that had taken them from Cumberland to Jadar. He couldn’t help but agree with her, the docks of Jadar were notorious for their smell. Jadar was the last major Orleasion city on the way to the Ferelden border. The city had existed for hundreds of years but the docks were fairly new. 

The original docks had started to rot away, during the Orlesian occupation of Ferelden. In an effort to expose Fereldener’s to the more sophisticated Orlesian culture, the Empire had outsourced the work. The final product had left something to be desired. It was said that the newly completed docks were so ugly that the fish died upon seeing them. Hence the smell. The truth wasn’t that fair off. The Ferelden builders had treated the supporting wood beams of the docks with a toxic chemical that was poisonous to the fish, and anyone who touched it. This put the Orlesians in a bit of a bind. The wood couldn't be safely removed until the chemical had worn off, and it was believed that it wouldn’t happen until the next Age. Jadar was now a sore spot in the Orlesian Empire, but Ferelden considered the docks one of their greatest structural achievements of the Blessed Age. 

“If it helps in any way, it’s Fereldens fault that the docks smell so bad. It will not be so horrible once we get farther inland. The Vault is at the other end of the city, you can hardly smell the rotting fish from there.”

This seemed to placate Morrigan for the time being. He could understand why she was so on edge, they hadn’t been this close to the Ferelden border since their visit to Denerim to see his family. Since then they had been staying mostly in the Imperium. Morrigan still feared that Flemeth would come for her.

They started walking into the city, heading towards the Vault that Cassian had referenced. 

“What is the Vault?”

“Oh! The Vault! Right, it was basically a hybridization of a Circle Tower and Mausoleum. During the Exalted Age, Divine Amara wanted to expand to the Circle with a second tower along the Orleasion side of the Waking Sea. It then turned out that Divine Amara was butt fuck crazy and was having the mages there made tranquil and then executed. The bodies of the mages were kept in the tower for experimentation by the church. Of course Amara was killed rather quickly due to her… tendencies…’

‘So now Orlais had this pretty nice tower with a bunch of dead people in it. Unsurprisingly the Mages didn’t want to move in, and honestly after the stunt the last Divine pulled, public opinion was on the mages side, and the Chantry couldn’t really make them move in. About 20 years later a rather eccentric Orlesian noble bought the building from the Chantry and turned it into a vault. The building holds the most precious items of all of the nobles of Orlais.” 

“A renovated Circle tower holds some of the most valuable Orleasion treasures in the country?” Morrigan asked doubtfully. 

“Well yeah, the building was designed to not let anyone out, and treasure is like a Circle mage, only it doesn't eat and stuff. You still don’t want it to get out, the whole concept is pretty ingenious if you ask me.”

“Why then, are we going to this Vault? Your family had no treasure to speak of.”

“Right you are my love, but the family my mother worked for, the one that moved us to Ferelden in the first place, had money, and they were storing a rather… peculiar piece of treasure. Partly to curry favor with the future King Cailan, and partially to spite another house they have been feuding with for the last few centuries.”

“...Do I want to know what this treasure is?”

“Probably not.”

“I figured as much.”

***

They were now standing outside of the Vault, a massive tower gleaming in the midday light. While stylish on the outside, it didn’t look that much different then the Circle in Ferelden. The most obvious difference was instead of the Chantry symbol on the outside, it had the symbol of the noble family who bought the building. 

“ Cassian?”

“Hmmmmmmmmm?”

“How are we going to break into an impenetrable Vault to steal what you described as ‘Literally the Worst Treasure Ever’?” 

“Oh we’re not breaking in, that would be insane, and impossible. Like I said it’s called impenetrable for a reason.”

“Ok, so how then, are we going to collect the property of another family without breaking in?”

“My love, welcome to the finer points of the Orleasion culture. As you know assassinations are not uncommon in Orlais as a result of the Game. This has resulted in whole families being wiped out and rare and precious objects being left in the Vault. Nothing could be claimed and nothing could be stolen. The backlog it created was a nightmare.’

‘After a few generations, the family that owns the Vault made a new rule to help compensate with the overcrowding. The result made the whole concept of the Game that much more alluring to the nobility as well. Basically, if every member of a noble family is wiped out, any person can claim an item belonging to that family from the Vault.”

“That sounds simple enough, what of the family that owns our prize?”

“Most of the Perrin line was killed off when the patriarch slighted Duke Gaspard about a decade ago. He  made comment in poor taste at his birthday party. The last remaining member passed away a few months after the Blight.”

“Oh? What happened to him.”

“Nothing you can prove.”

Morrigan and Cassian smirked at that. They started walking towards the building entering a large well lit lobby. At the far end of the wall was a long table with finely dressed men and women behind them. They each had their own section that was closed off. 

Cassian continued, answering Morrigan’s question from earlier. “In theory it is pretty easy to just walk in and collect a rare and valuable item, but true to Orleasion custom it’s waaay more complicated than that. In order to claim an item you must know its numeric code that it is assigned upon being brought to the Vault. Then you must trade something that is exactly the equivalent of that object. If it is worth more or less then not only can you not claim the object, but you will be stored with it.”

_ “WHAT?!” _

Morrigan’s slight outburst startled a few people, she fixed them with a death glare and pulled Cassian aside.

“You mean to say that if you are even slightly off in you calculation we could _die_?” Morrigan hissed.

“Well yeah, it’s all part of the Game.”

“If we die, I’m coming back and killing you again.”

“Sounds fair, and don’t worry, I’ve got this all figured out.” Cassian leaned over and kissed her forehead. Morrigan huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms only slightly placated. 

Cassian and Morrigan then approached one of the tellers. A rather old looking man, with a round stomach and a balding head. He wore a traditional Orlesian mask inlaid with gold, and green emeralds that highlighted his eyes. 

“Greetings Ser and Misser, how may I help you?” the man asked in a thick Orlesian accent.

“Hi, we’re here to collect item 1064B, I have brought the appropriate payment.”

The man pulled out a large book and flicked through it finding the items information. 

“Ah yes, I remember when this item was brought in, such a shame about the family. Place the payment on the table, and if it’s correct we’ll make the transaction.”

Cassian reached into the bag that he had been carrying and started fishing around “Okay, here we go, four cool looking rocks, one of which is particularly shiny. A half rotting fish-”

Morrigan made  disgusted noise at that. “Was that smell at the docks you the whole time?”

The teller smiled sadly “Unfortunately no madam, the docks just always smell like that.”

Cassian continued digging around in his bag, Morrigan watched him with a slightly concerned look on her face, she really didn’t want to die over a fish, but she trusted Cassian. The teller watched them with a blank expression, not giving anything away. 

“AH HA!”

Cassian pulled the last item out of his bag, it was a small jar containing an what looked like a tiny pickle in it.

“And here is the pickled right pinky toe of the deceased King Cailan.”

Cassian pushed the items across the table while Morrigan stared at him with an unreadable expression. The teller looked at the items carefully. Morrigan and Cassian waited with baited breath for the verdict.  “Everything seems to be in order, give me one moment to retrieve your item.” 

“Wait, before you go I do have something that I need you to deposit for me.” Cassian said reaching back into his bag and pulling out a long flat box.

The teller reached over and opened up the box, his face flushed slightly at the contents. Morrigan craned her head to try and see what he was looking. “Oh my, these are exquisite. How did you come by a complete set? I’ve only heard rumors that these existed.”

“I made them.” Cassian said grinning smugly. 

“You my friend, have a gift.” The teller said with awe in his voice. He then proceed with processing the box and giving Cassian the numeric code for when he would eventually come to collect it. The teller got up and left, leaving Cassian and Morrigan alone at the desk for a moment.

“Cassian, did you steal that toe off of King Cailan's body eight years ago when we returned to Ostagar? Was that why you relented and allowed Alistar and Amira to perform the funeral rites for him, so long as you could set fire to his body? Which after being burned would cover up the toe you have apparently stolen? A toe that you then pickled, which if I remember properly was a skill you asked me to teach you, and then carried it around with you for almost a decade just so you could have it for this exact moment?”

“.....Yes….”

“That… is... so sexy.” Morrigan pulled Cassian in for a passionate kiss. “I have never in my entire life been more attracted to you then I am in this moment. But why only the right toe?”

“Wynne was nearby, and was watching me like a hawk, I was also gonna try and grab little ole ‘Prince Cailan’ if you know what I mean, but alas I could only take his toe.”

“If there is ever an opportunity for you to steal another monarchs body part please do.” Morrigan's eyes glinted almost evilly at that. 

“I will keep that in mind for the future.” Cassian said grinning.

The teller returned with the item they had traded for, he was holding a long beautifully decorated cylinder, that had a halla leather strap on it so one could wear it across their back. Morrigan put it on while Cassian put his pack back on. They bid goodbye, and walked back out into the mid-afternoon light. Now it was time to go to Val Royeaux. It was time to curry some favor. 


	27. Truth

Amira let out a soft moan as Temson made his way down her body. They were back in Amaranthine at last, their return from Denerim having been waylaid by chance and circumstance along the way. Somehow she always seemed to find herself getting caught up in local troubles whenever she traveled; a bleeding heart, Leliana and Zevran had both informed her fondly, was inevitably her problem. Things with Temson had been somewhat tepid since Denerim. Amira had tried to convince herself that it was just being on the road that was the problem. She’d grown too accustomed to the privacy of her rooms, grown aware that outside the tower, it wasn’t considered common courtesy to simply pretend you didn’t hear people having sex. They were safely tucked away in her rooms again, but for some reason Amira still struggled to get into things. Kissing, that still felt good, but anything past that was… just, not the same. Amira’s mind drifted back to her conversation with Anora in Denerim.

***

_ “So…” Anora started, pouring both herself and Amira a glass of that pink wine that was now tradition between them. They were back in the kitchen room, taking a break from the revelry of the party. “You and that Warden. I must say he is quite handsome.” Anora smirked knowingly at Amira who flushed and took a sip of her drink.  _

_ “Um, thanks.” Amira said awkwardly, not entirely sure how to respond to her ex lover's wife. Maker their friendship was a strange one. “He’s really nice, and also the first person I’ve been with since- well, you know…” Amira trailed off fiddling with the rim of her glass. _

_ Anora smiled knowingly and nodded. “I’m glad to see that you’ve moved on.” _

_ Amira frowned at that, admitting softly “I haven’t- well… I’m trying. I think I’m always going to love Alistair. Being with Temson… I mean it’s good. I like him a lot, and I think this a good healthy step forward.” She winced slightly at the end of her statement, wondering if it had sounded as rehearsed to Anora as it had to her. She did mean it, it was just.. Well she’d not really had to explain her relationships to anyone outside of a letter before. Somehow it sounded different out loud. _

_ Anora chuckled quietly at her statement. “I can’t tell who you're trying to convince, me or yourself.”  _

_ “I guess, I just thought this would be easier.” Amira sighed dejectedly. “Is it even fair of me to be with Temson if I still have these feelings for Alistair?”   _

_ For a long moment Anora regarded her, finally she spoke. “Are you happy?”  _

_ “I think so, yes.” Amira said quietly.  _

_ “Do you have any intention of getting together with my husband while he’s still married to me?” _ _   
_ _   
_ __ “No, of course not.” 

_ “Then you need to stop making yourself miserable over this situation. My marriage is not going to end anytime soon. You’ve met someone who makes you happy, embrace that. Focus on what you have now, and stop feeling bad about what you lost.”  _   


***

She gave Temson a small smile as he began to undo her trousers. She waved her hand and the lights in her room extinguished. Temson paused at the lighting change, “Is everything ok?” he asked quietly.

“Yeah, I just thought that making it dark might be sexier” Amira said realizing the absurdity of the idea as she said it. 

“Oh, ok.” Amira nodded although Temson couldn’t see it and shut her eyes. Nothing happened, after a moment . “Hey Amira, could you turn the lights back on for a minute?” Temson asked.

Amira waved her hand and the candles and torches in her room reignited themselves. “So cool... “ Temson muttered eyeing the torches. 

“Is something wrong?” Amira asked sitting up slightly.

“You tell me. I feel like you’ve been kind of distant lately, ever since the party.” Temson looked at her slightly concerned. 

Amira sat back and leaned against the headboard sighing. “It’s just--” Amira sighed again, frustrated with her inability to find the right words. Feelings, talking about her feelings, was always surprisingly hard for her. She’d not had to do that sort of thing with Jowan (Amira ignored the pang of hurt that still accompanied thinking about him.) Her brother had either understood what she meant, or known to leave her to deal with it on her own. Irving had never been one for discussing her feelings with, and Alistair… Well there was the real problem, wasn’t there?

Temson climbed over her and sat down beside her against the headboard. “You can talk to me, we’re friends.” He said smiling kindly.

“I know, I’m just- I’m so sorry.” Amira said, stumbling over her words as she looked away from Temson. Amira was silent for a long moment, trying to gather her thoughts before she began. Her words were soft, hesitant as she was. She didn’t want to hurt Temson. It was the last thing she wanted, but he deserved her honesty. Amira deserved to be honest with herself too. “Seeing Alistair again at the party reminded me of what it was like to be with him. How it was always so thrilling, like every cell in my body was electrified. How I was always so excited to be be around him, to be with him. Even if he was just standing there, not doing anything, just by my side… I felt stronger, more sure of myself. More myself. And I just- I don’t feel that way when I’m with you…” Amira trailed off, trying not to wince. Maker, she was awful wasn’t she? She should have never done this, not when she’d known she was still in love with Alistair.

“... Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever felt that way, about anyone.” Temson said quietly picking at the blanket. 

Amira smiled sadly at him. “I’m sorry Temson, I like you, I do. I just- I think we need to be friends. Is that ok?” 

“Yeah- yeah of course it is. You are a really amazing person Amira, and I have to agree with you, being physically intimate, with you, it’s kinda weird.”   
  
“Yes!” Amira exclaimed in relief throwing her hands up in the air. “I am so glad you said that. Like kissing and stuff-”

“So great!” Temson interrupted.

Amira smiled. “Yeah, but I don’t think we’re supposed to be anything more than friends.”    
  
Temson nodded in agreement. Amira reached over and held his hand, giving it a squeeze. 

“Thank you Temson. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to rebound with.”   
  
Temson grinned and nodded. “Anytime my friend. Well not anytime. I think we’ve established that it’s probably best we don’t.”   
  
Amira grinned and nodded. She felt like a huge weight had been taken off of her chest. “So, what now?” 

“Well, I’m almost done with the statue deconstruction. I think a few days to maybe a week at the most and we’ll be good. After that, I think I’ll return to the Free Marches. You should come visit sometime.”

“I’d like that.” Amira answered honestly. 

“You know, I was going to blow up one of the statues today. You wanna come help?”

“Do you even have to ask?” Amira said excitedly. “Come on.” She said climbing out of bed. “Let's blow some stuff up!”   
  
Temson grinned and followed her out of the room. 


	28. Everybody is Looking for Something

Cassian and Morrigan were sitting on a lavishly decorated terrace at the home of Blanchette de Lemoux in Val Royeaux. They had used what little money that had to buy newer, fancier clothes, although compared to the even the carpeting in the main foyer of the Lemoux mansion they're appreance still came across as rather bland. Like any noble house in Orlais, it was lavishly decorated, covered in gold, ivory and other riches from across Thedas. 

Morrigan had an appreciation for the finer things in life, never being one to shy away from a beautiful necklace or gold ring, but she couldn’t help but feel that this was a bit much, even for her tastes. She felt awkward and out of place here among this extreme wealth. Cassian ironically looked out of place as well, he was no stranger to the wealth of Orlais, he had been groomed to inherit it from birth, but after living in Ferelden for 10 years and then traveling with Morrigan for the better part of the last 7 years he’d grown used to a different, more humble lifestyle. That being said he was practically vibrating with excitement; so ready to play the Game.

Morrigan huffed, leaning back in her rather uncomfortable chair. “We have been waiting for forty-five minutes, tis a waste of time, she is clearly not going to see us.” Cassian looked over at Morrigan who was shifting uncomfortably in her chair. She hated this chair and she hated these clothes. They were stiff and impractical. 

“She’ll be along soon. If she wasn’t going to meet us we never would have been let in.”   
  
“You would think that she would be faster to meet one of the Heroes of Ferelden.” Morrigan said her impatience growing.

“Well, we don’t really have any immediate proof that we are who we claim to be. As far as most of Thedas is concerned the Hero of Ferelden is in Amaranthine and the other has been missing for the better part of eight years. From what I can tell there is still a lot of confusion as to which Warden is which. All people really know for certain is that there are two and they are both elves. It is most likely that in a few centuries from now, history will only remember one of us, the other Warden will be forgotten and cast aside, or warped into a combination of the two.” Cassian chuckled at that. “I hope Amira gets remembered as an Orleasion. That would be perfect.” Morrigan smirked his comment. 

Just then, the doors to the terrace were opened and Blanchette de Lemoux joined them. She was dressed extravagantly as any Orlesian noble would, she was also wearing a mask as did all members of the Court. Cassian and Morrigan rose and bowed, although Morrigan a little awkwardly. 

“So you are the one claiming to be a of the Heroe of Ferelden? I must say you don’t quiet look the part.” de Lemoux said her eyes raking over Cassian both critically and appreciatively. Morrigan shifted slightly, irritated by the look she was giving him. This was not the first time she had seen someone so blatantly ogle Cassian. While in Ferelden his skin tone was a detriment to his status, in Orlais he was considered highly desirable because of it, the Orlesians believed that he looked more exotic, like a rare bird. Neither she nor Cassian liked that type of interest being put upon him, unfortunately there was nothing to do but try to use it as to their advantage.

Cassian gave Mistress de Lemoux a charming smile. “Why thank you my dear lady, it is an honour to be in your presence, your home is truly wonderful.” Morrigan raised her eyebrow, he had allowed his accent to become significantly more pronounced as he spoke, it caught her off guard. Although the Orlesian noblewoman seemed to appreciate it, if her giggles were anything to go by. 

“Oh no Great Hero, the pleasure is all mine.” Morrigan barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes at the womans change in attitude.

“Oh please, do call me Cassian, Great Hero is much too high of a title for one such as me.”    
  
“You give yourself to little credit Cassian, you have done great things for Thedas.” de Lemoux gestured for them both to sit as she took a seat across across the small table from Cassian and Morrigan. 

“Mistress de Lemoux I would like to introduce you to Morrigan, she is my…” Cassian trailed off realizing that there wasn’t really an appropriate word to describe their relationship. Mate would sound far to barbaric in this setting and Morrigan refused to even consider the use of the words wife or husband in relation to each other. “Everything...” Cassian finally said, glancing over at Morrigan to check that the term was agreeable. She gave a slight nod. It would have to do.

de Lemoux eyed them both more curiously now. “I was not aware the Hero of Ferelden was seeing anyone, there were rumours of a tryst with the Ferelden King, but I heard that ended with two broken hearts. I was not aware you had moved on.”

“That would be the  _ other _ Hero of Ferelden. Morrigan and I have been together since the Blight began, but we have made a point to be less public with our relationship. You know how the Chantry can be about apostates.”   
  
At this, Mistress de Lemoux’s eyes widened at the revelation that Morrigan was a mage. “A mage? Surely you both cannot stay here, and apostate will bring trouble to my house. I must insist you leave.” de Lemoux said standing.

“Wait just one moment.” Morrigan said speaking for the first time since Blanchett had entered the room. “I am not some simple apostate, I am a Witch of the Wilds. I know things that stretch far beyond that of any mage you could find in some Circle tower.”

This gave de Lemoux pause, she sat down slowly, watching them both with calculating eyes. The idea that Morrigan may be a fabled Witch of the Wilds was worth at least some of the trouble. Truly though, Morrigan had no idea what was going through her mind. She suspected Cassian might, as he had told her to say those very things. “I… must admit. The Hero of Ferelden having such an  _ unique _ relationship with a Witch of the Wilds is something the Court would greatly enjoy hearing about. But neither of you have yet said why you are here.”

“I would like you to sponsor Morrigan as a mage of the Imperial Court.”

de Lemoux laughed at that. “My dear Cassian, I have no interest in a mage, I would be wasting my resources to bring her into the Court. What could I possibly have to gain in doing this?” 

Cassian smiled wickedly at her question. Morrigan suspected that he had been waiting for her to ask just that. 

“While I doubt you will gain anything from Morrigan being in Court, I have no doubt that Morrigan will do well there, she will be able to curry favor and ascend on her own. We simply need you to be the springboard to make that happen. You will of course have the prestige of housing a Witch of the Wilds, as well as the lover to one of the Heroes of Ferelden. Something you have already said would be quite interesting to many in the Court.” Morrigan rolled her eyes at this. Orleasions were so easy, all they wanted do was gossip and have sex, or gossip while having sex. 

“While you make a good point, I’m afraid I simply cannot accept your offer, tensions between mages and templars are continuing to rise and the risk is not worth the reward.”   
  
“I suspected you would say that. And as such I have brought you a gift to help make my offer more desirable.” Cassian said as reached behind his chair to pull out the damned tube that they had lugged all the way from Jadar. When Morrigan had asked Cassian what was in the tube he’d just laughed maniacally without answering. 

Cassian popped open the tube and pulled out a slightly musty smelling piece of fabric. He then proceeded to unroll the piece till it was lying flat. “ _ Maker _ .” de Lemoux breathed out looking at the image eyes wide. “I had heard rumors that such a piece existed, but had prayed that they were untrue.”   
  
“This is what we were carrying around with us? Tis hideous.” Morrigan said scowling at the piece. de Lemoux nodded her agreement at the statement.

Lying flat on the table was a large piece of velvet. Painted on it was an image of King Maric. Morrigan had never seen a piece of art so ugly. She wanted desperately to set it on fire. 

“How did you come by this?” de Lemoux asked still staring at the painting. 

“My mother was a bard for the Perrin family. They had two of these paintings commissioned. One was brought to Denerim and given to Prince Cailan as a gift. The painting was eaten by one of his mabari hounds, but he liked the idea so much that three years later when he became king, he had several of them commissioned. The Perrin family stored the other copy of the painting at the Vault in Jadar.”   
  
“So this… this is how the Velvet Cailan's came into being. I knew the Perrin family was planning something when they went to Denerim, but I could never have conceived that they would stoop so low as to give Cailan the idea for the pieces. If there were any remaining members of the Perrin family I would wipe them out for this!” She finished the last part angrily. 

“You really hate this art.” Morrigan observed, slightly puzzled by de Lemoux’s strong reaction.

“I  _ loath _ furry art.” She growled out. “You have both done me a great service in bringing me this piece. If you allow me the pleasure of destroying it, I will get you into the Imperial Court. What you do from there is up to you.”

Cassian looked to Morrigan, checking to see if she was ok with the deal. Morrigan nodded. The three of them rose after that, bowing respectfully to Mistress de Lemoux. After that, de Lemoux had them shown to their room. Cassian would leave in the morning and Morrigan would begin her preparation of joining the Court and using its resources to try and find a cure for the Blight.

***

The next morning found Cassian and Morrigan in their room. Cassian had packed his bags and was ready to go, all that was left was to say goodbye.  Morrigan was sitting at the edge of their bed, she had been watching him as he’d packed and moved about the room. Now that he was done she stood in front of him. It was time. 

“I don’t know what to say.” Cassian said looking down, his voice quiet. There was a very real chance this could be the last time the saw each other. Ever. the ring would connect them emotionally, but it wasn’t the same. “I don’t want to go.” He finally said looking up at her tears in his eyes. 

Morrigan gave him a strained smile, trying her best to hold back her own tears. “Twas your idea to split up.” She said softly to him, her hands cupping his face.

“It is a stupid plan, why would we ever listen to it? I should stay, I can help you navigate the Court and-”   
  
“No” Morrigan cut him off. If he kept talking he would convince her as well. As much as she wanted him to stay, them splitting up _was_ the best move. “You need to go, you need to gather information from the Wardens. We attack this from both sides. Once we’ve found the cure we find each other.  _ That _ is the plan.”

Cassian nodded, staring at Morrigan memorizing her face. “I love you.” He said looking her right in the eye trying so hard to say so much with just three little words.

“I love you.” Morrigan repeated back, even after years together they rarely said that to each other. They felt everything through the rings, what was the point of saying it? But now Morrigan wished they had said it more often, the words coming from Cassian were more electrifying than any spell she could cast. If he returned-  _ when _ he returned she would make a point to say it more. To get him to say it more. “You need to go now. You have a long journey ahead.”

Cassian nodded and started to move towards his bag. Before he got far Morrigan grabbed his arm stopping him. He turned to look at her curiously. She reached out and pulled him into a deep kiss. She pulled away, her forehead resting against his. “You will come back to me. Don’t leave me here with these damned Orleasions.”   
  
Cassian laughed his forehead still against hers and nodded. He then pulled away. Morrigan kept her eyes closed a minute longer. When she opened them he was gone, and she was alone.


	29. Letters to Amira

“Warden Commander, we’ve received another report that things in Kirkwall are escalating.”

“Again? Didn’t we just deal with a Qunari siege?” Amira asked exasperated, giving the messenger who had just entered the great hall a disbelieving look.

“That was five years ago.” Bethany said quietly, she had Amira had been meeting to discuss a new training regimen for the recruits.

Amira turned from the messenger to give Bethany her full attention. “Really? Where did the time go...” she mushed. 

Bethany shrugged helplessly, a small smile on her face. Amira grinned in return. The last time, during the Qunari attack, Bethany had gone to Kirkwall to help. Back then she was still struggling with coming to terms with her role as a Grey Warden. Bethany had since grown into her position and had even started to embrace it.

“Bethany, you will lead a team of Grey Wardens to Kirkwall to observe the situation. Send me a report and we’ll decide how to proceed from there.” 

“You- you want me to lead a group of Wardens?” Bethany asked, disbelief in her voice. 

“You’ve been a Grey Warden for quite some time. Outside of Nathaniel and Velanna you are the senior most Warden here. You are also familiar with the Kirkwall situation and the Champion, whom is most likely involved. I think you are easily the most qualified person to lead this expedition. Not to mention you are the best mage I have ever trained.

Bethany flushed and smiled, embarrassed at the compliment. “I’m the only mage you’ve ever trained.”

“And you have set a very high standard for any future mages as well.” Amira said smiling proudly. “Now get a move on, you have a ship to catch.”

Bethany smiled, excited at the possibility of seeing her sister again, and darted out of the room, the messenger not far behind her. 

Amira watched her leave, a fond look on her face. She then cast her eyes to the burning fireplace in the great hall. After a moment she sent a silent prayer to the Maker. She didn’t have a good feeling about what was to come. The letter about the tensions between the mages and templars was troubling. She feared a possible war was on the horizon. 

Since the Qunari siege, she had been keeping tabs on Hawke and her friends. Partially for Bethany, but also partially because of the book Nathaniel had given her so long ago. Before Cassian had disappeared he had left a book with Nathaniel to give to her. It contained all of his thoughts and analysis for the future shaping of Ferelden. More so, it had been a outline on how to run the Wardens of Amaranthine. Amira had ignored most of what he had written. She had no interest in the politics of Thedas, or shaping them. Cassian had known that too… which is probably why the book was so short. The part of the book that had interested her was the analysis on the Wardens living in the Keep, a blueprint of her soldiers so that she may best try to lead them in the coming years. Amira had to begrudgingly admit that his insight had been useful. 

 

_ Oghren- Will most likely want leave the Wardens to be with Filsi and their child. Let him. _

_ Velanna- Hot headed and brash. Will try to leave the Warden’s, do not let her go. Let Nathaniel talk to her, this is where they will finally get together.  _

_ Nathaniel- Elastic. Give him the support to do his duty, and he will excel. _

_ Justice- An anomaly, watch him closely. Basic research indicates that spirits adapt to their environments. With all of the fighting Warden’s must do this puts Justice in a very volatile position. _

_ Anders- He will ruin us all. Kill him. _

 

Amira felt a sinking feeling her her gut as she reflected on Cassian’s note about Anders. At the time she had discarded his note, thinking that he was being petty or something equally Cassianesque. She had never met him, or Justice for that matter. They had both disappeared before she had arrived at the Keep. Now she could not help but agree, that perhaps she should have killed Anders when she had the chance. The reports she had gotten about him had become… troubling, as of late. He was shaping up to be an extremist in regards to the Mage-Templar disputes. 

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Zevran had once said that if Cassian and her ever agreed on something then things were probably apocalyptically bad. She really hoped that this wasn't the case. 

***

It would seem that this was the case. 

A note from Bethany a few months ago had heralded the beginning of the Mage Templar war. Since then things had only gotten worse. Circles across Thedas had started to fall. Templars and Mages were now roaming the country fighting openly. There was chaos. Amira and the Warden’s had remained staunchly neutral. They would not take a side, only offer protection to the people of Amaranthine. 

This decision had not been well received by the crown. Alistair had written a letter asking her what side she was declaring for, that the the crown would back her in this decision. Amira had refused to pick a side, at least publicly. Her heart would always be with the mages, even when the Circle was kind, it was a prison, living outside it now had only driven that home. But Amira feared what would happen to the Wardens if she declared them for mage freedom so directly. For all they’d failed at it during the Blight the Wardens were meant to be apolitical, it was necessary to their very survival. No matter what she personally wanted, she needed to put the Order’s well being first. And so Amira had only responded that the crown should provide a haven for the rebel mages. Somewhere the Templars could not incite more violence against them, but also a place where they could be watched. And, if needed, a place where they could step in if they proved too volatile. 

Alistair had clearly not been happy by her inaction, it was Anora whom had written a letter a few days later saying that they were working on a solution based on her advice. It was a small comfort, and Amira prayed her fellow mages would be safe. 

A knock on the door to the Great Hall alerted Amira to Nathaniel’s presence. He walked in quietly holding an envelope in his hands, probably another letter from Alistair, or Anora. 

“Warden Commander, this came for you.” Nathaniel said holding out the letter.   
  
Amira took it tentatively, she really didn’t feel like being reprimanded by the Ferelden monarchy. Her brows furrowed slightly as she looked at the seal. “Is this…” Amira trailed off she couldn’t even finish her question.

“The seal from the Divine herself, it looks like it may be time for us to pick a side in this war.” Nathaniel said ruefully.

Amira tore open the letter, her hands shaking slightly. 

 

_ My Dear Friend Amira, _

_ I am sorry that it has been a while, as you can imagine things with the war have been all encompassing. I write to you now on behalf of Divine Justinia. In a few weeks time she will be holding peace talks with the leaders of the Mages and Templars. She has asked that you come and join the talks, Justinia believes that you may offer a unique perspective to the situation. That the Mages will perhaps see reason if one of their own is in the room.  _

_ The Divine’s offer is also twofold. If things do not go well in these peace talks, she is going to bring back the Inquisition of old. She has asked that you be the one to lead it. Hopefully things will not come to this. But we must return peace to Thedas, and you are our best hope.  _

_ The peace talks will be held at the Temple of Sacred Ashes. Come to Heaven and we can further discuss what must be done.  _

_ I hope to see you soon my friend.  _

_ Maker watch over you, _

_ Leliana _

 

Amira let out a shaky breath as she reread the letter again and again. 

“So, is it time we declare? I’m going to assume it will be for the mages?” Nathaniel asked quietly.

“No.”

“No?” Nathanael asked confused by her answer.

“The Divine has asked that I be present at the peace talks she will be holding in a few weeks time.” Amira said quietly still staring at the letter in shock. 

“Really? That’s good. It removes us from the potentially awkward position of having to take... well... a position…”

Amira smiled wryly at his attempt at a joke and nodded. “I need to pack. Basil and I will leave at first light. You are in charge until my return. Sigrun will be your second. Are we understood?”

“Of course Commander, I will leave you to prepare.” With that Nathaniel swiftly left the Great Hall, most likely to find Sigrun. 

Amira sighed and looked at the letter one last time. Beside her Basil had perked up, sensing that something had changed. 

“Well Basil, what do you think? Is it time for one last adventure?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read this. We are currently working on the next section which follows the plot of Inquisition. Helpfully we'll have that out in the next few months.


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